HEALTH

Organ Donation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the findings of the most recent survey of people's perceptions of organ donation.

Rosie Winterton: Research has confirmed that 90 per cent. of the UK population support organ donation and nearly 20 per cent. have registered their intention to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

Children's Hospices

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the funding of children's hospices.

Stephen Ladyman: Funding for children's hospices is available through primary care trusts which are responsible for funding health care for their resident population. Local authorities can also fund services, including children's respite care. The New Opportunities Fund has provided £48 million over three years in support of palliative care projects for children.

Hepatitis C

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the proposed introduction of a compensation scheme for hepatitis C sufferers infected with contaminated blood products.

Melanie Johnson: Work on the detail of the scheme is being finalised and we hope to be in a position to announce the details soon.

World Health Organisation

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's contribution to the work of the World Health Organisation.

John Hutton: The Department of Health is responsible for the United Kingdom's annual subscription to the World Health Organisation. This contribution is based on the United Nation scales of assessment, with the UK contributing—in 2003–04—5.5 per cent. of WHO's regular programme budget, or £13.5 million. In addition the Department supports WHO in practical ways, including secondment of staff, membership of expert committees and work in the formal meetings of the governing bodies of WHO.

NHS Dentistry

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the provision of NHS dental treatment in North Lincolnshire.

Rosie Winterton: The Government remain committed to ensuring that national health service dentistry is available to all who need it and seek it. We recognise however that access to NHS dentistry can be difficult in some areas. We have announced additional resources totalling £59 million over this year and next to support dental access.
	A NHS support team is working with the hardest pressed areas, including North East Lincolnshire, and we hope that this and other local initiatives will ease the pressure on dental services in North Lincolnshire. We have also made available a one-off payment of £30,000 to North Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust to improve access to NHS dentists. The PCT will use this money to extend a general dental practice in the area, which will allow that practice to register more NHS patients on an agreed basis over a three year period.
	We are also working with the PCTs and dentists in North and North East Lincolnshire to see what support can be provided to move dentists on to personal dental services arrangements, which would take them off the bureaucratic treadmill of item of service fees.

NHS Dentistry

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of the 2001 restrictions on non-EU-trained dentists practising in the United Kingdom on the availability of dentistry.

Rosie Winterton: From 2001, the General Dental Council (GDC) ceased making visitations to dental schools in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, with the result that dentists who qualified after this date and wish to practise here have to sit the GDC's international qualifying examination. The number of dentists from those countries admitted to the GDC register since 2000 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Australia New Zealand South Africa 
		
		
			 2000 174 134 876 
			 2001 178 142 938 
			 2002 168 136 1,022 
			 2003 168 125 1,037

NHS Dentistry

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foreign-trained dentists were practising in the United Kingdom in each year since 1990, broken down by (a) headcount and (b) full-time equivalents.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows the number of general dental service (GDS) foreign-trained dentists practising in England and Wales in each year since 1993. Information is not available for years before 1993.
	Information on a full-time equivalent basis is not available. GDS dentists can vary the amount of dental work they do and the proportion carried out in the GDS.
	
		General Dental Service: Number of foreign trained dentists practising in England and Wales—September each year
		
			  Number of dentists 
		
		
			 1993 1,556 
			 1994 1,497 
			 1995 1,530 
			 1996 1,701 
			 1997 1,896 
			 1998 2,180 
			 1999 2,475 
			 2000 2,713 
			 2001 2,869 
			 2002 2,950 
			 2003 3,004 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Dentists include principal, assistant and vocational dental practitioners.
	2. Dentists exclude those whose status is currently shown as Statutory Exam or Awaiting Entry.

Respite Care

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to promote respite care.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government are committed to seeing a range of services available locally for people who need services and their carers.
	The carers grant has provided an extra £325 million since 1999 to support local councils in arranging breaks services for carers.

Respite Care

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role he envisages for the private sector in providing respite care facilities for people with learning difficulties.

Stephen Ladyman: The private sector has an important role in providing respite care and short break services for people with learning disabilities and we envisage that this will continue to be the case. Respite care and short break services should provide high quality and flexible support to people with learning disabilities and their families. Such support can be provided in different ways by agencies from a variety of sectors including the private sector. People with learning disabilities can also use direct payments to directly purchase for themselves services, from a variety of sources, to meet their assessed needs include respite care and short breaks.

Ehler-Danlos Disease

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will fund research into Ehler-Danlos disease.

Stephen Ladyman: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is not currently funding any research into Ehlers-Danlos though it does fund a number of research projects into connective tissue and also into collagen physiology. The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding.

Coronary Heart Disease

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the most recent statistics for the mortality rate from coronary heart disease are in the area covered by the Bolton primary care trust.

Melanie Johnson: In 2002, the most recent year for which data are available, the mortality rate from coronary heart disease for residents of Bolton Primary Care Trust was 230 male deaths per 100,000 population and 108 female deaths per 100,000 population.

Audiology Services

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what performance indicators are in place for NHS audiology services.

Stephen Ladyman: There are no national performance indicators for national health service audiology services. It is for primary care trusts to plan these services in response to the needs of their local communities.

Delayed Discharges

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to fine social services departments in the case of delayed discharges in community hospitals.

Stephen Ladyman: We plan to extend the system of reimbursement for delayed discharges to all hospital patients in a phased way, once it begins to make an impact in the acute sector.

Emergency Readmissions

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason his Department no longer collects information for patients aged 75 and over on emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge.

Stephen Ladyman: The target, and subsequently the collection of monitoring information on emergency readmissions, was changed from that relating only to patients aged 75 because it was perceived as being ageist in that older people could be denied access to hospital services in order to meet a performance target. Emergency readmissions targets and data collections have, therefore, covered all ages since April 2002.

Foundation Hospitals

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Answer of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 602W, on foundation hospitals, if he will list those applications for foundation hospital status which have been submitted to the Independent Regulator.

John Hutton: I refer my hon. Friend to my written ministerial statement of 19 January 2004, Official Report, column 49WS.

Foundation Hospitals

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library copies of the preparatory materials submitted by the national health service trusts seeking the Secretary of State's support for an application for NHS foundation trust status.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave on Monday 5 January 2004, Official Report, column. 189W. I will arrange for copies of the applications submitted to the independent regulator to be placed in the Library. I will also arrange for the Department's summary of each applicant to be placed in the Library in due course.

Geriatricians

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) consultant geriatricians and (b) geriatricians below the level of consultant were employed by the NHS in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: The table shows the number of consultants in geriatric medicine and geriatricians below the level of consultant who were employed by the national health service in each year since 1997.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): Consultant grade and other staff with a specialty in geriatric medicine -- England(1)Number (headcount)
		
			  All staff of which: 
			   Consultants Non-consultants(3) 
		
		
			 June 2003 (2)— 894 (2)— 
			 2002 2,707 861 1,846 
			 2001 2,558 781 1,777 
			 2000 2,572 767 1,805 
			 1999 2,505 719 1,786 
			 1998 2,560 712 1,848 
			 1997 2,527 677 1,850 
		
	
	(1) Data as at 30 September except 2003, where data as at 30 June.
	(2) Data not available. This is due to 2003 data being taken from the mini census, which collected consultants only.
	(3) Grades below the level of consultant include staff grade, associate specialist, registrar group, senior house officer, house officer, hospital practitioner, clinical assistant and other staff.
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.
	The number of consultants employed by the NHS in geriatric medicine has increased by 32 per cent. between September 1997 and June 2003.

Health and Social Services (Lincolnshire)

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been provided (a) in absolute terms and (b) per head of population served by the Trust for the United Lincolnshire NHS Trust in each year since 1995.

Stephen Ladyman: Funding is not allocated to national health service trusts. NHS trusts as providers of services receive the bulk of their revenue funding from commissioning by primary care trusts. Since 2003–04 funding has been allocated to PCTs, and before then to health authorities.
	The table shows cash allocations and allocations per head of population for Lincolnshire health authority, East Lincolnshire PCT and Lincolnshire South West Teaching PCT. Prior to 1996–97 allocations were made to regional health authorities, no information is available for Lincolnshire.
	
		
			 Period Total allocation (£000) Allocation per weighted head of population (£) Allocation per unweighted head of population (£) 
		
		
			  Lincolnshire HA 
			 1996–97 256,520 431 416 
			 1997–98 266,305 448 428 
			 1998–99 278,608 463 445 
			 1999–2000 394,990 632 615 
			 2000–01 429,691 681 664 
			 2001–02 469,403 736 717 
			 2002–03 519,957 811 785 
			  East Lincolnshire PCT 
			 2003–04 241,038 884 904 
			 2004–05 264,418 970 991 
			 2005–06 288,857 1,060 1,083 
			  Lincolnshire South West Teaching PCT 
			 2003–04 143,841 934 785 
			 2004–05 156,714 1,018 855 
			 2005–06 170,113 1,105 928 
			  West Lincolnshire PCT 
			 2003–04 180,080 887 855 
			 2004–05 197,501 973 938 
			 2005–06 215,736 1,063 1,025 
		
	
	Note:
	1999–2000 is the first year of unified allocations covering HCHS, prescribing and GMS cash limited. These figures are not comparable with those for previous years which cover HCHS only.
	Source:
	1996–97 to 1999–2000 Health Authority Cash limits Exposition Book
	2001–02 Health Authority Revenue Resource Limits Exposition Book
	2003–04 to 2006 PCT Revenue Resource Limits Exposition Book

Independent Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to require independent diagnostic and treatment centres to have patients' forums.

Rosie Winterton: There are no plans to require independent treatment centres to have patients' forums. The patients forums set up for primary care trusts (PCTs) that commission services from independent treatment centres can monitor and review services that the treatment centre provides, as well as carry out their other functions in relation to them. Directions issued to PCTs on 27 November 2003 require PCTs to ensure that contracts they place with all independent sector providers includes provisions that:
	require those providers to allow entry to patients' forums to enter and inspect premises where those services are provided; and
	require those providers to give information in relation to those services to patients' forums when requested.

Independent Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what rights of access to (a) people, (b) papers and (c) premises (i) overview and scrutiny committees and (ii) primary care trust patient forums will have in respect of independent diagnostic and treatment centres operating within their area.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 19 January 2004
	In relation to the operation of independent treatment centres, overview and scrutiny committees (OSCs) do not have rights of access to people, papers or premises of independent treatment centres. OSCs that want to scrutinise independent services should do so via the primary care trust (PCT) that commissioned the services.
	Patients' forums have a right to enter and inspect independent premises and the right to information only if the contract between the PCT and the provider is compliant with directions issued to PCTs last November. These directions require PCTs to ensure that contracts they place with all independent sector providers include provisions that require those providers to allow entry to patients' forums to enter and inspect premises where those services are provided and require those providers to give information in relation to those services to patients' forums when requested.

Independent Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how public-patient involvement will be delivered for independent diagnostic and treatment centres.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 19 January 2004
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for ensuring that section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001—the duty to involve and consult patients and the public—is complied with when making arrangements for another organisation, person or people to provide services. This includes independent treatment centres (ITCs).
	PCT patients' forums have powers to monitor and review the services provided by ITCs. Contracts between PCTs and ITCs will include a requirement to allow PCT patients' forums to enter the premises of ITCs.
	Local authority overview and scrutiny committees with the power to review the planning, provision and operation of services will be able to use those powers in relation to ITCs, through the scrutiny of those PCTs which contract with ITCs.

Long-term Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the additional cost of implementing in full the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Long-term Care.

Stephen Ladyman: The cost of introducing free personal care for everyone in England has been estimated at £1.5 billion. The cost would increase to £1.8 billion with equivalent payments to the devolved Administrations. None of this extra expenditure, were it to be made in this way, would increase choice or services available to older people.

Mid-Essex Hospital Trust

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were waiting for in-patient treatment in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area at the latest date for which figures are available; and how many people have been waiting over 12 months for in-patient treatment.

Stephen Ladyman: pursuant to his answer, 15 January 2004, Official Report, column 858W
	I regret my previous answer was incomplete. The response should read as follows.
	As of 30 November 2003, 7,972 patients were waiting for elective inpatient admission, and no patients were waiting over 12 months. The source of this data is the Department of Health monthly monitoring.

Miller Group

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list contracts his Department has awarded to the Miller Group in each of the last three years.

John Hutton: No contracts have been awarded by the Department of Health to the Miller Group in any of the last three years.

National Fruit Scheme

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the monitoring and roll out of the national fruit scheme and its impact on the consumption of fruit by four to six-year-olds in deprived areas.

John Reid: Following successful national piloting, the National School Fruit Scheme will be extended nationwide by the end of 2004. It already operates in four regions and covers 35 of the 50 most deprived wards in England.
	This extension means that more than 2 million children will now benefit.

Osteoporosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will clarify the National Institute for Clinical Excellence advice on the provision of medicines to those patients diagnosed with osteoporosis.

Stephen Ladyman: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is consulting on the first draft of a technology appraisal on the use of medicines for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and prevention of osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women. The document does not constitute NICE's formal guidance on this technology: the recommendations are preliminary and may change after the consultation. The draft document is available on the NICE website at www.nice.org.uk.

Personal Care Charges

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total charges collected from local authorities for personal care in each of the last six years.

Stephen Ladyman: The information shown in the table shows total resident/service user contributions to care costs including personal care. The Department of Health does not collect information on resident/service user contributions for personal care only.
	
		Income from client contributions (sales, fees and charges)—England -- £000
		
			  1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			  Older people (aged 65 or over) including older mentally ill
			 Nursing home placements 228,539 314,022 352,600 417,420 473,685 486,375 
			 Residential care home placements 583,604 633,776 738,424 819,193 909,022 943,997 
			 Home care 93,969 113,876 140,433 159,148 170,310 173,915 
			 Total older people 906,112 1,061,674 1,231,457 1,395,761 1,553,017 1,604,287 
			
			  Adults aged under 65 with a physical disability or sensory impairment   
			 Nursing home placements 9,060 12,772 13,784 18,597 21,574 25,289 
			 Residential care home placements 29,361 34,953 39,999 44,071 46,958 48,680 
			 Home care 5,820 8,901 10,408 16,438 17,508 16,709 
			 Total adults aged under 65 with a physical disability etc. 44,241 56,626 64,191 79,106 86,040 90,678 
			
			 Adults aged under 65 with learning disabilities   
			 Nursing home placements 4,697 7,296 7,846 7,115 9,767 9,810 
			 Residential care home placements 129,471 153,623 200,848 212,472 216,321 240,966 
			 Home care 2,012 3,397 7,328 8,822 10,195 14,039 
			 Total adults aged under 65 with learning disabilities 136,180 164,316 216,022 228,409 236,283 264,815 
			
			 Adults aged under 65 with mental health needs   
			 Nursing home placements 8,835 6,713 8,947 10,503 10,104 11,168 
			 Residential care home placements 39,634 47,163 51,193 59,765 52,098 52,872 
			 Home care 1,164 1,424 1,470 1,920 1,952 1,982 
			 Total adults aged under 65 with mental health needs 49,633 55,300 61,610 72,188 64,153 66,022 
			
			 All adults and older people   
			 Nursing home placements 251,131 340,803 383,177 453,635 515,130 532,642 
			 Residential care home placements 782,070 869,515 1,030,464 1,135,501 1,224,398 1,286,515 
			 Home care 102,965 127,598 159,639 186,328 199,964 206,645 
			 Total adults and older people 1,136,166 1,337,916 1,573,280 1,775,464 1,939,492 2,025,802

PET Scanners

Marion Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of PET scanners in the NHS.

Melanie Johnson: In response to requests from national health service and research stakeholders the Department of Health will shortly publish a framework for positron emission tomography (PET) scanning for consultation. This framework will set out a national policy position for PET in the NHS which will set out, from the evidence, which tumour groups would benefit from PET scanning, likely future demand, and the optimal configuration and location of PET scanners.

Vaccinations (Staff)

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on the provision of smallpox vaccinations for medical personnel.

John Hutton: holding answer 19 January 2004
	As part of its overall preparedness strategy for dealing with bioterrorism, the Department has produced a detailed smallpox plan. This plan requires that each standard Government region should have a regional response group consisting of five response teams each comprising of five members vaccinated against smallpox. Corresponding arrangements are being made for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This cohort of healthcare workers would be the first responders in investigating any suspected or confirmed cases of smallpox and therefore need to be protected against the threat of disease. A programme to vaccinate the necessary cohort for England commenced in December 2002 and to date we have vaccinated 276 healthcare workers; exceeding our target of 261. The cohort comprises infectious disease physicians and paediatricians, public health physicians, microbiologists/virologists, acute care and communicable disease control nurses and occupational health staff. In addition, a further target of 90 ambulance staff to be vaccinated has recently been set for England. These are the only personnel being offered smallpox vaccination in the absence of disease.
	While there is no evidence of a specific threat of smallpox attack on the United Kingdom, it is sensible and prudent to ensure that the national health service can deal effectively with any potential threat.
	The Department's smallpox plan is available in the Library and also on the Department's web-site at www.doh.gov.uk/smallpox/smallpox.htm.

Variant CJD

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the current funds are in the discretionary fund available to victims and families of new variant CJD; what the outstanding claims are on that discretionary fund; and if he will make a statement on the future operation of the discretionary fund.

Melanie Johnson: It was in recognition of the special plight of those affected by variant CJD (vCJD) that the Government established the vCJD Trust which oversees the payment of no-fault compensation to the families involved.
	The terms of the trust were agreed with representatives of the families following a lengthy period of consultation. The compensation scheme provides for payments to be made in respect of 250 cases up to a maximum of £55 million.
	On top of this £55 million, the Government also agreed to meet the families' request to pay a further £50,000 to every victim or their family in each of the first 250 cases.
	Additionally, the trustees can make extra payments in prescribed circumstances where particular hardship is involved and where the trustees consider that further payment should be made. Such payments can be made from the discretionary fund although there is no entitlement as of right for those making claims upon this fund since further payments from it are entirely at the discretion of the trustees.
	To date, the trustees of the vCJD Trust have made payments of £1,509,353.99 from the discretionary fund in respect of 96 cases. This leaves a balance of £3,490,646.01 in the discretionary fund.
	Further information about the vCJD Trust will be available on the trust's website www.vcjdtrust.co.uk shortly, to which the trust's first Annual Report covering the period 15 March 2002 to 5 April 2003 will be added in the next couple of weeks.
	I will place a copy of the trust's report in the Library.

TREASURY

Banking Regulation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to improve the level of supervision of banks.

Ruth Kelly: The regime for prudential supervision of banks is kept under constant review, both at home and internationally, in forums such as the European Union and the Basle Committee on Banking Supervision. On 1 June 1998, responsibility for the supervision of banks moved from the Bank of England to the Financial Services Authority. The legislative framework for the regulation of banks was subsequently reformed under the Financial Services and Markets Act; this came into effect on 1 December 2001.

Household Incomes

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the income thresholds were for each decile of the household income distribution in (a) 1997–98 and (b) the most recent available 12-month period.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Jim Cousins dated 20 January 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking for the income threshold for each decile of the household income distribution in 1997–98 and the most recent available 12-month period, which is 2001–02.
	Estimates in the following table are produced from the Office for National Statistics' analysis "The effects of taxes and benefits on household income" published on the National Statistics website on October 21st 2003 at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits. The analysis includes measures of income inequality for the United Kingdom as a whole based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey.
	The table shows, for the UK in 1997–98 and 2001–02, the boundaries between equivalised disposable income deciles for all households. Equivalisation is a standard methodology that takes into account the size and composition of households and adjusts their incomes to recognise differing demands on resources. For example, the 1st decile boundary is the income level below which one tenth of households are estimated to lie.
	
		
			 Income decile 1997–98 2001–02 
		
		
			 Bottom   
			  6,766 8,214 
			 2nd   
			  8,504 10,356 
			 3rd   
			  10,146 12,361 
			 4th   
			  11,922 14,670 
			 5th   
			  13,917 17,179 
			 6th   
			  16,342 19,910 
			 7th   
			  19,316 23,691 
			 8th   
			  23,457 28,469 
			 9th   
			  30,451 37,095 
			 Top   
		
	
	Source
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the National Statistics website and in Economic Trends.

Inland Revenue

David Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to produce an Inland Revenue leaflet covering all the Inland Revenue help available for those with special needs.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue are researching the most appropriate methods, including leaflets, of effectively publicising the help available to those with special needs and have been working closely with the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group.

Ministerial Meetings

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met (a) Sir Eddie George and (b) Mr. Brian Quinn.

Ruth Kelly: Ministers and civil servants have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals as part of the process of policy development and analysis. As with previous Administrations, it is not this Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code and Guidance for Civil Servants: Contacts with Lobbyists, as appropriate.

National Savings

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his plans for the National Savings Ordinary Account as they effect (a) existing and (b) potential new account holders.

Ruth Kelly: National Savings and Investments will shortly launch a new savings account in response to changing customer needs. The new account will replace the Ordinary Account, which was introduced in 1861 and has not kept pace with changes in the savings market. The Ordinary Account is expensive to run and therefore only offers modest returns to savers.
	The new account has been designed to meet these changing customer needs and will be straightforward and simple to operate, offering customers greater flexibility in the way they manage their savings. They will be able to make deposits at post offices, by telephone and by post and they will be given an account card which will allow cash withdrawals at post offices or ATMs in the LINK network. This means the new savings account will be cheaper to run compared to the Ordinary Account and the savings will be passed onto the customer in the form of better interest rates.
	The new savings account will be available on 29 January 2004 and new Ordinary Accounts will not be available after 28 January 2004. In order to give existing Ordinary Account customers plenty of time to consider what to do with their savings, they will be able to continue using their account in the normal way until 31 July 2004. After that date, no further deposits can be made and any withdrawal will have to be for the full balance to close the account. In the meantime, National Savings and Investments will be writing to Ordinary Account customers explaining their options, including information about the new account and a simple transfer form for those wishing to transfer their savings into the new account.

Public Expenditure

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last conducted a needs-based review of public expenditure levels in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Paul Boateng: Public expenditure of UK Government Departments has been reviewed in each spending review. The funding for the Devolved Administrations has been determined using the Barnett formula. Details were published in the Statement of Funding Policy in July 2002.

Spirits (Duty)

Alan Reid: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful prosecutions there were for evading duty on spirits in the most recent year for which figures are available.

John Healey: holding answer 12 January 2004
	In 2002–03, there were 24 prosecutions for evading duty on spirits. Of these, 21 were successful and three were unsuccessful.
	Additionally, 62 prosecutions were brought for cases involving the evasion of duty on mixed excise goods, some of which may have included spirits.
	Figures for the current and future years will be reported on an annual basis by HM Customs and Excise in their Annual Report.

Statutory Sick Pay

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people employed in his Department have claimed statutory sick pay for (a) less than one week, (b) one to three weeks, (c) four to six weeks, (d) seven to 12 weeks, (e) 13 to 20 weeks and (f) 21 to 28 weeks in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: The information is not available and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	The Treasury, Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise pay full pay for six months and a further six months at half pay for staff who are absent due to sickness. SSP is paid only when employees are not receiving full pay. SSP is paid for up to 28 weeks.
	There are very few payments of SSP made due to the sick absence scheme we operate.

TRANSPORT

Flying (Health)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the implications for human health of travelling in passenger aircraft at altitudes in excess of 30,000 feet.

Tony McNulty: Although scheduled passenger aircraft routinely fly at altitudes of between 30,000 and 37,000 feet, the cabin is pressurised to the equivalent of between 6,000 and 8,000 feet to compensate for the reduction in atmospheric pressure. The Government are actively examining the effects of air travel on the health of passengers, notably in relation to the incidence of deep vein thrombosis and cabin air quality. In conjunction with the Civil Aviation Authority and the National Radiological Protection Board, the Department has also issued advice on limiting airline crew's exposure to cosmic radiation in accordance with Article 42 of Council Directive 96/29/Euratom.

Shipping (Accidents)

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) injuries and (b) fatalities there were caused by accidents involving personal transfer baskets used in British waters in each year since 1997.

David Jamieson: The Marine Accident Investigation Branch of DfT has no record of injuries caused by accidents involving transfer baskets used in British waters since 1997.

Air Transport

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what advice he received from the National Air Traffic Service on the feasibility of the proposals contained in the White Paper on "The Future of Air Transport" (a) prior to publication of the White Paper and (b) subsequently;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the proposals in the White Paper on "The Future of Air Transport" on the design of UK airspace;
	(3)  what discussions his Department has held with the National Air Traffic Service on the impact of increased airport capacity at (a) Heathrow and (b) Stansted on the design of London Terminal Area airspace;
	(4)  what simulations have been undertaken by the National Air Traffic Service of the impact of increased airport capacity in the South East on the design of London Terminal Area airspace;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of how long it will take the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) to (a) design and (b) implement changes necessary to the London Terminal Area airspace as a result of the proposed increases in airport capacity in the South East; and when NATS expects to begin this work.

Alistair Darling: The studies that preceded "The Future of Air Transport" included a high-level assessment of airspace issues by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the body responsible for the planning and regulation of UK airspace, and National Air Traffic Services (NATS). This work concluded that the necessary airspace capacity could, in broad terms, be provided safely through the redesign of airspace and the introduction of enhanced air traffic techniques and systems. Copies of the relevant report have been placed in the House Libraries. Both organisations also responded to the consultation that preceded the White Paper. In their response, NATS supported the need for new runways in the South East and expressed a preference for development at existing airports.
	Paragraphs 12.25–12.27 of "The Future of Air Transport" set out the Government's expectation that the CAA will make early progress in bringing forward a programme of work, involving other key bodies including NATS, for the redesign of airspace to accommodate forecast growth in air traffic.

Concessionary Fares

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much government grant per capita was allocated for concessionary fares on public transport in 2003–04 in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) North Yorkshire.

Tony McNulty: Government provision for existing concessionary travel schemes is included in the general grant for local authorities. This is distributed using formula spending shares and it is not possible to provide an allocation for each authority. It is for local authorities to decide their spending priorities in the light of their responsibilities and the wishes of their electorate.
	Spend on a per capita basis in 2002–03 by each of the three authorities on concessionary fare reimbursement was approximately as follows:
	West Yorkshire—£11.45 per head
	South Yorkshire—£9.85 per head
	North Yorkshire (on an aggregate of its seven district councils)—£2.33 per head.
	In North Yorkshire the concessionary fare schemes were funded by district councils, not the county.
	West Yorkshire PTE's concessionary fares scheme provides for a flat fare on buses and rail services for older and disabled people. Schoolchildren and students can also travel at a reduced fare. South Yorkshire PTE's scheme provides for flat fares on local bus, tram and train services for older and disabled people, schoolchildren and students. In North Yorkshire the seven district councils all provide a half fare scheme on bus services for older and disabled people only, with some providing concessionary travel on other modes.

Driving Tests

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the introduction of compulsory hazard perception tests for existing approved driving instructors; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: We have received representations from a wide variety of sources since our decision to add moving-image Hazard Perception Testing (HPT) to the supervision of existing Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs) was announced in December.
	HPT has been part of the qualification process for learner drivers, car, lorry and bus drivers, motorcyclists and prospective ADIs since November 2002. Our announcement followed consultation exercises in December 2001 on HPT for learner drivers and riders and prospective ADIs, and in April 2003 for existing ADIs. On both occasions, instructor interests mainly favoured introduction for drivers and prospective ADIs, but not for existing ADIs. Other interests, such as road safety bodies and the police, mainly favoured the proposals, including for existing ADIs.
	The ADI registration scheme already requires instructors to have their competence periodically re-assessed. We now plan to use modern technology to assess standards objectively against the same benchmark—regardless of when ADIs were registered. This should ensure that ADIs are familiar with the nature of the tests faced by trainees.

Insurance Discs

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of introduction of insurance discs.

Kim Howells: The Government have commissioned an independent review, by Professor David Greenaway, of the UK motor insurance system with a particular focus on uninsured driving. The review will include an assessment of the merits of the introduction of insurance discs. Professor David Greenaway is expected to report in April and we will study carefully his recommendations.

M6

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money will be spent on the M6 (a) maintenance and (b) upgrading in (i) Lancashire, (ii) Cheshire and (iii) Staffordshire in each of the next five years; and how many miles of the M6 motorway will be affected in each of the counties.

Kim Howells: Maintenance programmes are established on an annual basis, based upon an assessment of network condition and availability of funds.
	Subject to the availability of funds, the Highways Agency plans to invest in a Motorway Incident Detection Automatic Signalling System (MIDAS), which includes upgrading the current Variable Message Signs, on the Lancashire section of the M6.

Traffic Management Bill

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many uniformed patrols will be set up by the Highways Agency under the Traffic Management Bill; what their annual cost will be; and how many new posts will be created.

David Jamieson: holding answer 7 January 2004
	The number of uniformed patrols (a liveried vehicle and uniformed Traffic Officers) will depend on day-to-day operational requirements and is currently envisaged to be about 100 when fully phased in on motorways. The annual cost is about £40 million. It is currently envisaged that the number of new posts created will be about 1,200 Traffic Officers.
	The Highways Agency and Association of Chief Police Officers "Roles and Responsibilities Report" identified plans that could free up the equivalent of about 540 full-time equivalent police officers. Based on figures from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary of 6,540 designated roads police in 2001–02, the report estimated that a transfer of non-core police activities to the Highways Agency enabled approximately 8½ per cent. of police time to work on other key tasks. Resources will be freed up over a period of about three years as Highways Agency Traffic Officers are phased in across all motorways and some key trunk roads.

Transport Investment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much investment there was in transport in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley in each of the last five years.

Kim Howells: Lancashire has received:
	
		
			 Year £ million 
		
		
			 2000–01 10.896 
			 2001–02 27.83 
			 2002–03 29.704 
			 2003–04 25.388 
			 2004–05 29.202 
		
	
	The figure requested for Chorley cannot be disaggregated from the Lancashire totals identified above. However Chorley has benefited considerably from these monies; an example of which is the £2.873 million Chorley Bus Interchange completed in March 2003, which has brought attractive and safe conditions to bus travel in Chorley.

Urban Bus Challenge

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities in the West Midlands made bids in the Urban Bus Challenge competition.

Tony McNulty: The following local authorities in the West Midlands made bids in the 2003 Urban Bus Challenge competition.
	
		
			 Authority Number of bids 
		
		
			 Staffordshire County Council 1 
			 Stoke-on-Trent Council 2 
			 Telford and Wrekin Council 1 
			 Warwickshire County Council 2 
			 West Midlands PTA 7 
			 Worcestershire County Council 1

DEFENCE

Army Regiment Strengths

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the strength against requirement is of each regiment of the British Army.

Adam Ingram: The information is not held centrally in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, details on the current trained Regular Army manning state by Arms and Service as at 1 December 2003 are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Arms/Service Requirement Strength 
		
		
			 Household Cavalry /Royal Armoured Corps 5,975 5,885 
			 Royal Artillery 8,330 7,815 
			 Royal Engineers 9,160 8,790 
			 Royal Signals 8,635 8,580 
			 Infantry 26,185 25,830 
			 Army Air Corps 2,105 1,820 
			 Royal Army Chaplains Department 165 145 
			 Royal Logistics Corps 16,205 15,200 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 2,920 2,645 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 10,370 9,635 
			 Adjutant General Corps (Provost) 2,075 2,055 
			 AGC (Staff Personnel Support) 4,645 4,615 
			 AGC (Education and Training Corps) 315 320 
			 AGC (Army Legal Service) 95 90 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps 190 175 
			 Small Arms School Corps 145 150 
			 Royal Army Dental Corps 420 405 
			 Intelligence Corps 1,410 1,335 
			 Army Physical Training Corps 455 425 
			 General List — — 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps 1,035 800 
			 Corps of Army Musicians 1,155 1,025 
		
	
	— = zero or rounded to zero.
	Notes:
	1. The trained requirement for individual Arms and Service Directors is derived from the Regular Army strength requirement (excluding Gurkhas and FTRS), which is published in DASA's Tri-Service Monthly Publication (TSP) 3.
	2. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.

Base Closures

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which (a) Army, (b) RAF and (c) Royal Navy bases he proposes to close.

Ivor Caplin: The MOD keeps the size and location of its bases under constant review. In the estate strategy, "In Trust and On Trust" the Department set out its intention to define its mainland Great Britain sites as core' or 'non-core'. Initial classification work was conducted last year. Building on this the Department is now undertaking further work to identify where estate rationalisation may be possible. This work is consistent with the Department's contribution to the Government's Independent Review of Public Sector Rationalisation—the Lyons review. Any specific proposals arising from these studies will be subjected to full consultation in due course.

Call-out Notices

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many compulsory call-out notices have been issued in each of the last three years; and how many individuals were mobilised in each of those years. [R]

Ivor Caplin: In 2003, over 13,500 call-out notices were issued. However, it should be noted that some individuals received more than one call-out notice to report for a particular operation. The number of call-out notices issued in 2001 and 2002 is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The number of reservists who were mobilised in the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2001 920 
			 2002 1,720 
			 2003 9,550 
		
	
	These figures include Volunteer Reserves, Regular Reserves and Sponsored Reserves.

Communications

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what shortcomings were identified in the Oscar strategic communications system procured for use during Operation TELIC; and how much was spent on the system.

Adam Ingram: The Operations and Strategic Communications Architecture (OSCA) system was procured at short notice to enhance our strategic communications capability. The lack of scope to engineer the solution full and the requirement to integrate OSCA into the existing UK military communications infrastructure caused some difficulties. These difficulties did not significantly affect the operational outcome.
	Some £13 million was spent on acquiring the hardware and costs of some £20 million have been incurred in running the system up to December 2003.

Death-in-service Benefit

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the proposed increase in death-in-service benefit from one and a half to four times salary will be payable to Service personnel who opt to remain within the existing Armed Forces Pension Scheme.

Ivor Caplin: No, but those who wish to have that benefit will be able to transfer to the new scheme, which is entirely a matter of choice for each individual member of the armed forces.

Dog Patrols

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many dog patrols were made on (a) Army bases and (b) RAF stations in the United Kingdom on (i) 1 January 1997 and (ii) 1 January 2003.

Ivor Caplin: The information is not recorded as there is no requirement to do so. Security at MOD establishments is kept under constant review and dog patrol duties, which form an important element of security procedures at MOD establishments, are no exception.

Gulf Campaign Medal

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British servicemen and women were awarded the Gulf Campaign Medal for Operation Desert Storm in 1990–91, broken down by armed service.

Ivor Caplin: Operation Desert Storm was the name given to the American operations during the Gulf War of 1990–91. The term used to describe the British operations was Operation Granby. The Gulf Medal 1990–91 was either awarded on its own, or together with one of two clasps which were attached to the medal ribbon and acknowledged specific periods of operational service. The details were published in Command Paper 1627 which the then Prime Minister presented to Parliament by Command of Her Majesty The Queen, in August 1991. A copy was placed in the Library of the House.
	As far as can ascertained from records held by the Ministry of Defence's four single service medal offices, a total of 59,687 medals with and without clasps were issued to Service personnel, including those people recalled to the Armed Forces from the Reserves for service during the conflict. The distribution of these medals can be broken down as follows:
	
		
			 Service Medalonly Medal with clasp2 August 1990 Medal with clasp16 January–28 February 1991 Total 
		
		
			 Royal Navy 2,409 Nil 3,942 6,351 
			 Royal Marines 130 Nil 407 537 
			 Army 4,093 46 34,692 38,831 
			 Royal Air Force 5,673 20 8,275 13,968 
			 Total 12,305 66 47,316 59,687 
		
	
	In addition, medals with and without clasps, were awarded to members of various civilian organisations and to foreign nationals who served with British Forces in the Middle East.

Gulf War Veterans

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Gulf War veterans of 1990 were still serving in the armed forces in 2003.

Ivor Caplin: Approximately 16,600 of the 53,464 United Kingdom armed forces personnel who served in the Gulf conflict of 1990–91 were still in Service on 1 January 2003.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the extra-territorial applicability of the European Convention on Human Rights in territories under the military occupation of United Kingdom forces.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost is since September 2002 of the deployment of United Kingdom forces in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Outturn information for 2002–03 on the cost of operations in Iraq which have been subject to National Audit Office (NAO) audit, have been published as part of the Department's Annual Report and Accounts. Operating Costs for 2002–03 for operations in Iraq total £629.531 million. Expenditure on capital equipment amounts to £217.680 million. The grand total is, therefore, £847.211 million.
	For 2003–04, funding voted at Winter Supplementary Estimates amounted to £1.2 billion and covered the cost of peacekeeping and associated Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs). The Ministry of Defence will seek a further £300 million at Spring Supplementary Estimates to cover primarily the cost of the Recuperation of the Department's operational capability. Thus, the total sought in 2003–04 will be £1.5 billion.
	It is too early to say what costs might be incurred after 2003–04.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 4 December 2003, Official Report, column 127W, on Iraq, what the latest total is of deaths in British custody; what the status of investigations into them is; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer on 19 January 2004
	There have been a total of 6 deaths of Iraqis in UK custody in Iraq. All are, or have been, the subject of investigations by the Royal Military Police Special Investigations Branch. The investigation into the death of Radhi Nama concluded that he died of natural causes. The other five investigations are continuing and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further until they are complete.

Iraq

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 15 December 2003, Official Report, column 30W, on Iraq, how many of the armoured Land Rovers operating in Iraq have been used in field operations.

Adam Ingram: All of them.

Iraq

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 5 January 2003, Official Report, column 30W, on Iraq, how many of the Gazelle and Puma helicopters operating in Iraq have been used in field operations.

Adam Ingram: All of them.

Manning Control

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what plans he has to compensate soldiers who were subject to manning control where it is proved that the wrong procedures were applied to their discharge;
	(2)  what plans he has (a) to compensate and (b) to re-instate soldiers who were subject to manning control and then engaged on S-Type contracts where it is proved that the wrong procedures were applied to their discharge.

Ivor Caplin: There is no evidence to suggest that incorrect procedures have been applied to soldiers who have been discharged as a result of manning control, and the issue of compensation has therefore not arisen. Should any such cases come to light, the onus would be on the individual to make a claim against the Ministry of Defence. Anyone believing they have been wrongly discharged from the Army is entitled to redress of complaint which, if successful, could lead to reinstatement.

Overseas Deployments

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the countries in which United Kingdom troops are stationed, giving numbers in each case.

Adam Ingram: Approximate numbers of British troops stationed permanently overseas are:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Germany 22,900 
			 Cyprus 2,800 
			 Falkland Islands 1,200 
			 Brunei 1,100 
			 Gibraltar 780 
			 Canada 210 
			 Diego Garcia 40 
			 Belize 30 
			 Kenya 10 
		
	
	In addition, some 650 Service personnel are posted overseas on representational duties in British Embassies and High Commissions, or on Loan or Secondment in support of the Government's Defence Diplomacy objectives.

Reservists

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985 in ensuring that (a) reservists' jobs are safeguarded, (b) adequate compensation is payable when they are not, (c) the procedure to be followed is as simple as possible and (d) employers do not misuse economic restructuring to minimise compensation.

Ivor Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 8 January 2004, Official Report, column 454W.
	However, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 11 December 2003 that the Ministry of Defence will be examining the effectiveness of the 1985 Act as part of the White Paper process.

Reservists

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reservists serve as (a) full-time reservists with full commitment contracts, (b) full-time reservists with limited commitment contracts, (c) full-time reservists with home commitment contracts and (d) volunteer reservists.

Ivor Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 3:UK Armed Forces Strengths and Requirements, and UK Defence Statistics (UKDS) 2003. TSP 3 shows strength figures of full-time reservists broken down by commitment type. Table 2.13 of UKDS shows the strength of the Volunteer reserves as at 1 April
	each year.
	These are both available in the House of Commons Library; TSP 3 and UKDS are updated on a monthly and yearly basis, respectively. TSP 3 for 1 November 2003 was published on 10 December 2003. The 1 December 2003 issue is due for publication shortly.

Reservists

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support his Department gives to a reservist prevented from returning to his previous employment; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 8 January 2004, Official Report, column 454W. The Ministry of Defence's Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers (SaBRE) campaign team provides a helpline and a website which gives additional information and advice.

Service Children's Education

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to implement recommendation 8.6 of the Quinquennial Review of Service Children Education published in May 2003.

Ivor Caplin: Although the Quinquennial Review Report into the Service Children's Education Agency was dated May 2003, the review process was not completed until 2 December 2003, at which point the outcome was reported to the House. No steps have therefore yet been taken to implement recommendation 8.6, but work on this is now in progress.

Union Flag

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Government's policy is on the display of the Union Flag on Army recruitment and careers literature in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the rest of the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: All Army recruitment literature is produced for use throughout the United Kingdom, and as such, bears images of the Union Flag. However, local press advertising in Northern Ireland uses the Army crossed sword/crown logo instead of the Union Flag but television advertising retains the use of the Flag.

Union Flag

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Army's policy is on the display of the Union Flag (a) at its bases in Northern Ireland, (b) at Palace Barracks in Holywood, County Down and (c) within the recruitment office at Palace Barracks.

Adam Ingram: The Army's policy on the flying of the Union Flag within Northern Ireland is that it should be flown at flag stations designated in Queen's Regulations or those authorised by the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland. One of the flag stations designated in Queen's Regulations is Palace Barracks, Holywood. The Armed Forces Careers Office within Palace Barracks, as a recruitment office for all three Services, flies the three Service Flags outside their office.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Departmental Relocation

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the benefits of relocation of staff to North Staffordshire; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of proposals to relocate Government jobs on the Department's ability to meet (a) departmental policy objectives and (b) departmental public service agreements;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the effect of possible relocation of staff in his Department to North Staffordshire on (a) job creation, (b) sustainable development, (c) the local economy and (d) tackling regional economic disparities; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what plans he has to establish procedures for assessing the impact of possible relocation of staff in his Department to the regions; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: Sir Michael Lyon's Independent Review of Public Sector Relocation was established by the Chancellor and Deputy Prime Minister to examine the scope for relocating public sector activity, to improve the delivery and efficiency of public services and to benefit regional economies.
	Sir Michael's review will be informed by research from King Sturge on suitable alternative locations, and Experian Business Strategies on lessons from previous relocations, and the economic impact of relocation. Summaries of this research will be available shortly on the Treasury website.
	Sir Michael's final report will be published in March 2004 and we will develop relocation proposals in light of his findings.

Euro

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in how many speeches during 2003 he declared support for the Government's policy on the euro.

Stephen Twigg: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, on 12 January 2004, Official Report, columns 516–17W.

Higher Education Funding

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the value of fee repayments by graduates arising from his proposals for variable top-up fees, in each year from 2008 to 2020.

Alan Johnson: The value of fee repayments will depend on the number of students that decide to defer payment of their fees and take out a fee loan; on the levels of fees that institutions decide to charge; and on the earnings of the graduate population overtime. It is not possible to predict these numbers with certainty and therefore it would not be meaningful to estimate the value of fee repayments year-by-year, given the uncertainties above.
	Estimates of the cost of fee loans using a variety of different scenarios are contained in the Regulatory Impact Assessment published on 8 January alongside the HE Bill. Copies of the Regulatory Impact Assessment were placed in the Library of the House; it is also available on the Department for Education and Skills website.

Leak Inquiries

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list occasions on which his Department has conducted an inquiry into alleged leaks from members of staff since 1997; and if he will list the occasions on which the names of those persons accused of leaking information from his Department have been made public (a) by the Government and (b) by way of another source.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 12 January 2004
	Since 1997 my department has investigated 23 suspected leaks.
	In line with exemptions 1(a) and 7(b) set out in Part II of the "Code of Practice on Access to Government Information", it has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on the outcome of such inquiries in order to safeguard security and investigative arrangements.

Modern Language Teachers

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what progress is being made on the production of specialised resources for the teaching of modern languages in primary schools;
	(2)  what percentage of teaching time he aims to allocate to foreign languages in primary schools by 2010;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the progress since November 2002 of Government plans to upgrade foreign languages in primary schools.

Stephen Twigg: There has been considerable progress on the development of language learning in primary schools since November 2002, underpinned by the launch in December 2002 of the Department's National Languages Strategy for England. Implementation of the Strategy is being driven by Dr. Lid King, the National Director for Languages.
	The Strategy recognises the importance of developing a workforce and resources to support successful implementation of primary language learning, and much of our work to date has focused on these areas. In developing a school workforce, we are building up a cadre of specialist teachers and non-teacher specialists to support primary language learning. 499 places have been filled this year for Primary Initial Teacher Training with a specialism in French, German or Spanish. 119 primary MFL Advanced Skills Teachers are now in place, and we have allocated 50 primary MFL places to the Graduate Teacher Programme. We are working with the TTA to pilot a CPD course for existing primary teachers to develop language skills and MFL pedagogy. The TTA has also begun the process of approving training providers for Higher Level Teaching Assistants, and we are working with the British Council to extend the foreign language assistants programme into primary schools.
	On resources, we are working with a range of partners to develop a framework for language learning at Key Stage 2, to be published in autumn 2005. It is intended as a shared national reference point for all those involved in teaching modern foreign languages in primary schools. It will offer guidance on key considerations such as pedagogy, cross-curricular links, curriculum delivery models and transition at age 11. The framework will supplement existing non-statutory guidance for modern foreign languages at Key Stage 2, which contains a programme of study and attainment targets for listening, speaking, reading and writing.
	In addition, we are developing schemes of work with QCA in Spanish and German to mirror those that already exist in French. The Spanish scheme of work will also be developed into a digital online resource. The Department has also funded the establishment of NACELL—the National Advisory Centre on Early Language Learning—which provides access to appropriate information, including resources and has an extensively used website for language teachers.
	In addition to workforce and resource development, in September 2003 the Department launched MFL pathfinders in 19 LEAs to explore how language learning can best be introduced at Key Stage 2. The findings from those pathfinders will provide practical guidance and help to inform teachers, schools and LEAs of good practice. We are also developing the National Recognition Scheme, as outlined in the Strategy, and are currently trialling the scheme in a range of settings, including primary schools.
	On time allocation, the Department does not specify how much time should be allocated to deliver modern foreign languages in primary schools, or indeed to any other subject. It is for head teachers to decide how they introduce language learning at Key Stage 2 and the amount and frequency of language teaching time. The Department will, however, be issuing guidance and good practice to help inform such decisions.

Student Finance

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his statement of 8 January 2004, Official Report, column 418, on higher education (student support), whether the student loan repayment to be written off after 25 years applies to all money owed to the Student Loans Company.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 19 January 2004
	Under the student support proposals announced by my right hon. Friend on 8 January, the Government intend to write-off outstanding student loan balances 25 years after graduates enter liability to repay their loans, which is from the April after graduation. This policy will apply to those entering HE from 2006 and graduating in 2009 and cover both maintenance and fee loans.

Student Finance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the age limit is on eligibility for student loans; and how he proposes to change that in the event of a repayment period capped at 25 years.

Alan Johnson: The age limit is 50 for eligible students meeting the residence requirements. Those aged 50 to 54 at the start of their course can also apply for a student loan provided that they plan to return to work after finishing their course. We have no plans to change the age limits.
	We already cancel loans when a borrower reaches the age of 65. We also intend to put a 25 year cap on the loan repayment period, so that outstanding loan amounts are written off after 25 years (or age 65, whichever is the earlier).

Student Places

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many additional student places will be made available in higher education in (a) 2006 and (b) each year to 2020 under (i) the present arrangements and (ii) his proposals on top-up fees.

Alan Johnson: The planned number of student places is set during spending reviews in the light of the Government's target of increasing participation in higher education towards 50 per cent. of those aged 18 to 30 by the end of the decade. Planned student numbers for 2005–06 to 2007–08 will be set as part of the current spending review, which will conclude next summer. However, the additional funds that we estimate will be raised by higher education institutions from charging variable fees are equivalent to the resources that would be required for around 135,000 students.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Staff

Russell Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what percentage of staff employed within the Office are over 55 years of age; and what (a) number and (b) percentage of staff recruited over the last 12 months are over 55 years of age.

Douglas Alexander: The following Table shows the number and percentage of staff in departments and agencies aged 55 and over at 1 April 2003. The figures are based on the headcount of permanent civil servants.
	
		
			 Department Age 55 + Others Total Per cent. 55 + 
		
		
			 Cabinet Office 190 1,780 1,970 9.6 
			 COI 30 330 360 8.1 
			 Sec. & Intelligence Services 490 4,200 4,690 10.4 
			 DCMS 50 640 690 7.5 
			 MOD 18,550 74,900 93,450 19.8 
			 ODPM 350 2,600 2,940 11.9 
			 DfES 470 4,760 5,220 8.9 
			 OFSTED 340 2,310 2,650 12.9 
			 DEFRA 1,410 9,680 11,080 12.7 
			 DoHealth 320 3,260 3,580 9.0 
			 Home Office 1,900 20,520 22,420 8.5 
			 Charity Commission 50 520 580 9.0 
			 HM Prison Service 6,100 38,060 44,160 13.8 
			 DfID 110 1,030 1,140 9.7 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 550 6,890 7,440 7.4 
			 Legal Secretariat 10 30 30 16.7 
			 Treasury Solicitors 40 500 540 7.8 
			 CPSI 10 40 40 11.9 
			 DCA 2,210 10,310 12,530 17.7 
			 HM Land Registry 1,100 7,840 8,940 12.3 
			 Public Record Office 70 450 520 13.9 
			 Trade and Industry 1,280 8,970 10,240 12.5 
			 ACAS 150 750 900 16.8 
			 ECGD 50 340 390 12.7 
			 Office of Fair Trading 80 330 410 20.1 
			 OFGEM 10 260 270 2.9 
			 DTLR 2,900 12,890 15,790 18.4 
			 Health & Safety Executive 580 3,680 4,260 13.6 
			 OFWAT 10 230 240 5.4 
			 OS 140 1,640 1,780 7.6 
			 DfT 250 1,700 1,940 12.7 
			 HM Treasury 60 980 1,040 5.4 
			 Customs & Excise 2,490 20,470 22,950 10.8 
			 GAD 10 90 100 10.3 
			 Inland Revenue 8,580 74,260 82,840 10.4 
			 DNS 10 100 110 10.5 
			 ONS 340 3,130 3,470 9.8 
			 Royal Mint 90 720 810 10.6 
			 DWP 11,860 12,2410 134,270 8.8 
			 Northern Ireland Office 320 160 190 17.7 
			 Privy Council Office (4)— 30 30 8.8 
			 Scottish Executive 1,190 10,920 12,110 9.8 
			 Crown Office & PFS 80 1,380 1,450 5.4 
			 General Register Office (Scotland) 40 180 220 17.7 
			 National Archive for Scotland 20 130 150 12.6 
			 Office SOS for Scotland 10 90 100 11.7 
			 Registers of Scotland 90 1,280 1,370 6.8 
			 National Assembly of Wales 430 3,290 3,720 11.6 
			 OHMCI 10 80 90 14.6 
			 Wales Office 10 40 50 18.8 
		
	
	(4) Numbers and percentages less than 5.
	The following Table shows the number and percentage of recruits to departments and agencies over the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 who are aged 55 years and over. Figures are based on the headcount of Permanent civil servants.
	
		
			 Department Age 55 + Others Total Percentage of recruits aged 55 + 
		
		
			 Cabinet Office 10 190 200 7.0 
			 Parliamentary Counsel Office (5)— 10 10 (5)— 
			 COI (5)— 80 80 (5)— 
			 Sec & Intelligence Services 10 220 230 6.1 
			 DCMS (5)— 50 60 (5)— 
			 MOD 1,330 6,360 7,690 17.3 
			 ODPM 50 310 350 12.8 
			 DfES 30 320 340 7.8 
			 OFSTED 60 400 450 12.6 
			 DEFRA 60 620 680 9.1 
			 DoH 60 510 570 10.9 
			 Home Office 310 3,250 3,560 8.7 
			 Charity Commission (5)— 70 70 (5)— 
			 HM Prison Service 480 3,790 4,270 11.2 
			 DfID (5)— 30 30 (5)— 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 60 720 780 7.4 
			 Legal Secretariat 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Treasury Solicitors Department (5)— 90 90 (5)— 
			 Lord Chancellors Department. 220 1,390 1,610 13.9 
			 HM Land Registry 60 520 580 9.5 
			 Public Record Office 10 90 100 9.5 
			 Department. of Trade and Industry 60 640 690 8.4 
			 ACAS (5)— 40 40 (5)— 
			 ECGD (5)— 50 60 (5)— 
			 OFGEM (5)— 50 50 (5)— 
			 DTLR 160 1,110 1,270 12.8 
			 Health & Safety Executive 10 280 300 4.1 
			 OFWAT 0 50 50 0.0 
			 OS 10 70 80 9.3 
			 HM Treasury (5)— 80 80 (5)— 
			 Customs & Excise 90 1,150 1,240 7.3 
			 GAD (5)— 10 10 (5)— 
			 Inland Revenue 1,320 12,100 13,420 9.8 
			 DNS (5)— 20 30 (5)— 
			 ONS 20 350 370 5.7 
			 Royal Mint (5)— 20 30 (5)— 
			 DWP 1,710 12,340 14,050 12.2 
			 Northern Ireland Office (5)— 20 20 (5)— 
			 Privy Council Office 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Scottish Executive 90 960 1,040 8.2 
			 Crown Office & PFS 20 220 240 8.6 
			 General Register Office (Scotland) 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 National Archive for Scotland (5)— 10 10 (5)— 
			 Office SOS for Scotland 0 10 10 0.0 
			 Registers of Scotland 10 120 140 10.1 
			 National Assembly Wales 110 350 460 24.0 
			 OHMCI (5)— 10 10 (5)— 
			 Wales Office 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— 
		
	
	(5) Numbers and percentages less than 5.
	Source:
	Mandate The data from Mandate incorporate information on almost 98 per cent. of civil servants.
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Rounding may lead to inconsistencies between the sum of individual cells and the totals are calculated from the unrounded numbers.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

National Lottery

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many applications for lottery grant funding have been received in the last year from applicants in the Billericay constituency; what the total value was of these applications; how many were successful; what the total value of grants was; how many applications were received in the United Kingdom; what the total value was of these applications; how many applications were successful; and what the total value of grants was.

Estelle Morris: The Department does not collect information concerning the number and value of applications for lottery funding received by the distributing bodies.
	In the last full financial year (2002–03), 22 awards worth a total of £495,535 have been granted in the constituency of Billericay.
	In the same period across the UK, over £1.6 billion was awarded to 26,841 awards.
	These numbers are derived from the Department's database of lottery awards, which is based on information supplied by the distributing bodies.

Racehorses

Ian Cawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what provisions are included in the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Bill for (a) veterinary care at racecourses, (b) support for the re-housing of retired racehorses, (c) support for the improvement of the breeds of horses and (d) support for veterinary science and education.

Richard Caborn: Clause 16(6)b of the Bill provides that Levy Board assets may be transferred to a third party only where the Secretary of State is satisfied that they would be used for one of the following purposes: the improvement of breeds of horses; the advancement or encouragement of veterinary science or veterinary education; the improvement of horse racing.

Regional Television

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what role Ofcom has in maintaining levels of regional television broadcasting output in (a) the East Midlands and (b) other regions.

Estelle Morris: Under the Communications Act 2003 all public service broadcasters will have to agree targets with Ofcom for regional programming and/or regional production.
	Every Channel 3 licensee will agree targets with Ofcom for regional production and investment in programme-making for Channel 3.
	Within these targets, regional Channel 3 services will also have requirements for programme production and investment in programme-making for Channel 3 regional programmes on a regional or national Channel 3 service, and local programmes on any local Channel 3 service. These regional programmes should be of high quality and a sufficient proportion must be shown at or around peak time.
	Ofcom will also agree targets with Channel 4 and Channel 5 for programme production and investment in the regions.
	Obligations similar to those for Channel 3 will be applied by Ofcom to the BBC by way of the BBC Agreement.

Regional Television

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how levels of regional television output have changed since the adoption of the Charter for the nations and the regions in (a) the East Midlands and (b) other regions.

Estelle Morris: The Charter for Broadcasting in the Nations and Regions is an agreement between the ITV companies and the ITC setting out a broad range of measures designed to provide a common benchmark for regional activity. It was adopted in May 2002. The weekly average regional hours for the ITV regions, provided by Ofcom, are shown in the following table. Carlton Central is the licensee for the East Midlands area.
	
		Regional hours -- Hours, minutes
		
			  Broadcast hours, weekly averages 
			  (6)2001 (6)2002 (6),(7)2003 
		
		
			 Anglia 9:41 9:08 9:12 
			 Border 5:58 5:57 6:45 
			 Carlton 8:59 7:43 6:15 
			 Carlton Central 8:29 8:08 9:01 
			 Channel 5:33 5:46 5:44 
			 Grampian 7:30 7:43 7:30 
			 Granada 9:15 9:09 9:16 
			 HTV Wales 10:53 10:33 10:11 
			 HTV West 10:50 9:45 8:56 
			 LWT 3:33 3:20 2:42 
			 Meridian 10:44 9:55 9:13 
			 STV 14:51 13:21 12:19 
			 Tyne Tees 10:24 9:35 9:24 
			 UTV 11:07 10:44 10:13 
			 Carlton Westcountry 10:53 10:08 8:55 
			 Yorkshire 9:21 8:54 9:17 
		
	
	(6) Calendar years
	(7) January to September 2003, final figures for 2003 are not yet available.
	Note:
	These figures exclude repeats and all programmes transmitted after 12.30am to allow comparison.

Sunset Clauses

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her policy on the use of sunset clauses in legislation; and which Acts containing such clauses relevant to her Department were passed in each year since 1997.

Richard Caborn: None of the Bills the Department has introduced since 1997 have contained sunset clauses. Decisions on the future use of such clauses will be made on a case by case basis and will be communicated to the House in the usual way.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burma (Displaced People)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the number of displaced Burmese people; and how many of them are in refugee camps.

Hilary Benn: DFID uses estimates of displaced Burmese people made by UN agencies. According to the latest figures obtained from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, there are 19,500 Burmese in refugee camps in Bangladesh and 116,711 in refugee camps in Thailand. There are no accurate figures for the number of displaced Burmese people in other locations.

Burundi

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people have been prosecuted for breaches of human rights in Burundi since January 1994.

Hilary Benn: As a result of political instability, widespread insecurity and fighting between rebel groups and the Government of Burundi army since 1993,there has been internal displacement of over 281,000 people with over 800,000 refugees living in neighbouring countries, mainly in Tanzania. The majority of the remaining population in the country continued to be victims of human rights violations caused by the rebels or undisciplined regular soldiers. Torture, cruelty and inhuman degradation and punishment were everyday burdens for the ordinary citizen who could not get effective recourse because of a poor justice system. About 8,300 Burundians are in prison but only 44 per cent. have been sentenced.
	It remains difficult to get a clear distinction between ordinary crimes and violations of human rights. We assume that most prisoners' offences fall into the category of human rights violations.
	515 prisoners are on death row because of different atrocities e.g. murder, assassination, homicide, cannibalism, attempt to destabilise national security etc.
	Six people (including a headmaster) were executed in July 1997 for their direct involvement in crimes on ethnic grounds.
	About 700 people were sentenced to life imprisonment.
	There are currently about 400 soldiers accused of violating fundamental rights.
	Two civil servants (members of the judicial police) were prosecuted for violating human rights.

Chad/Cameroon

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions his Department has had with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees regarding Sudanese refugees in Chad.

Hilary Benn: Since the latest movement of refugees into Chad we have been in regular contact with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Geneva and their field teams in eastern Chad.
	Our Humanitarian Adviser will be visiting eastern Chad in two weeks' time to assess the refugee situation there; the visit will be hosted by the UNHCR.

Chad/Cameroon

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how his Department will respond to the appeal for $11 million by the World Food Organisation for the Sudanese refugees in Chad.

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member to my response of 19 January 2004 to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West (John Barrett), Official Report, column 929W.

Chad/Cameroon

David Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of Chad's ability to cope with the influx of refugees fleeing war in Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Hilary Benn: Chad is making efforts to address this situation, but it lacks the resources properly to meet the needs of the refugees: the UN and international NGOs are therefore assisting them in this task.
	We appreciate the efforts the Chad Government are making to help bring about a peaceful end to the fighting in Darfur.

Chad/Cameroon

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what the total financial contribution made by the United Kingdom is for the Chad/Cameroon pipeline project;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the quality of the auditing of the Chad/Cameroon pipeline project.

Hilary Benn: The UK Government are not providing any direct financing for the Chad/Cameroon Oil Pipeline Project, nor is it directly engaged in other way e.g. provision of technical assistance. Our interest is indirect through the World Bank and the European Investment Bank.
	DFID is confident that the World Bank's systems for monitoring and implementing this project are appropriate. In relation to the quality of auditing and fiscal accountability, Bank policy identifies two sets of appropriate auditing standards: the International standards on Auditing published by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the Auditing Standards published by the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions. Project arrangements provide for regular audits, on the Chad/Cameroon pipeline projects' accounts, plus independent opinions from the International Advisory Group (IAG) and the External Compliance and Monitoring Group (ECMG) who carry out regular independent supervisions of the technical and environmental aspects of the project and from the Inspection Panel who respond to requests from private individuals.

Chad/Cameroon

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  for what reason the external independent quality assurance and quality control audits relating to the Chad/Cameroon project have been circumvented;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on environmental protection measures relating to the Chad/Cameroon pipeline project;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the standard of fiscal accountability and transparency measures since the commissioning of the Chad/Cameroon pipeline project;
	(4)  for what reason quality assurance and quality control audits of the Chad/Cameroon pipeline project have not been conducted by the World Bank;
	(5)  for what reason internal audits of the Chad/Cameroon pipeline project have not been conducted;
	(6)  for what reason bills of quantities in relation to the Chad/Cameroon pipeline project have been approved in the absence of packages for quality assurance and quality control;
	(7)  for what reason work on the Chad/Cameroon pipeline project continued without procedures for quality assurance and quality control;
	(8)  for what reason the project design change orders on the Chad/Cameroon pipeline project were negotiated and approved without plans for quality assurance and quality control;
	(9)  what assessment has been made by international aid agencies of the adequacy of compliance with quality assurance and quality control in relation to the Chad/Cameroon pipeline project;
	(10)  for what reason the World Bank has employed contractors who are not fully I.S.O. 9000 series accredited;
	(11)  whether project completion certificates for the Chad/Cameroon pipeline project have been approved;
	(12)  if he will make a statement on levels of insurance cover relating to the Chad/Cameroon pipeline project;
	(13)  for what reason bills of quantities for the Chad/Cameroon pipeline project have been approved without packages for front end engineering design.

Hilary Benn: DFID is not directly involved in funding or implementing this project. DFID therefore does not have first-hand information on detailed implementation issues concerning quality assurance and control audits, internal audits, quality assurance and quality control, project design change orders, accreditation of contractors, project completion certificates, levels of insurance, fiscal accountability and transparency measures, and bills of quantities.
	However, DFID is confident that the World Bank's systems for the monitoring and implementation of this project, and for the investigation of any warranted complaints are appropriate.
	Since the project was approved in June 2000, exceptional resources have been allocated by the Bank and the International Finance Corporation, to monitor and support the project's implementation against Internationally agreed standards. This includes the establishment of the Independent Inspection Panel (IIP) and the External Compliance Monitoring Group (ECMG).
	In relation to the quality of auditing and fiscal accountability, Bank policy identifies two sets of appropriate auditing standards: the International Standards on Auditing published by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the Auditing Standards published by the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions. Project arrangements provide for regular audits of the Chad/Cameroon pipeline projects accounts, plus independent opinions from the International Advisory Group (IAG) and the External Compliance and Monitoring Group (ECMG), which carries out regular independent supervisions of the technical and environmental aspects of the project, and from the Inspection Panel which may investigate complaints from people who believe they have been negatively affected by a World Bank project.
	The Chad/Cameroon pipeline is subject to a number of monitoring and supervision controls to ensure quality control, application of environmental regulations, design and implementation adhere to International rules and regulations. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) has strict requirements and specifications, and compliance with these by all parties is spelled out in legally binding agreements. Strong remedies are provided in legal agreements with all parties in case they fail to comply with this obligation. The EMP represents an extensive analysis of the potential environmental and social impacts of the project.
	The World Bank are being advised by the ECMG in monitoring the implementation of the Environmental Management Plan, and by an International Advisory Group on broader implementation issues, including those that need to be addressed to achieve the project's developmental objectives. Both the ECMG and IAG make regular site visits. These third party reviews supplement the Bank's own monitoring and supervision of the project which includes site visits, internal reporting and continual discussions with the project sponsors.
	The above measures are additional to on-going monitoring by the Consortium and by the Governments of Chad and Cameroon. The Consortium provide quarterly reports which are publicly available.
	DFID's interest is as a member of the Executive Board of the World Bank. We do and will continue to take our role on the Executive Board seriously, ensuring that issues identified by the Independent Inspection Panel and External Compliance Monitoring Group are raised, monitored and rectified.
	The investigation reports mentioned are available in the public domain and can be found on http://www.worldbank.org/afr/ccproi/index.htm.

Darfur

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to visit Darfur.

Hilary Benn: I have no plans at present to visit Darfur, but my Humanitarian Adviser intends to do so during his visit to Sudan next week.

Darfur

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the safety of humanitarian aid workers in Darfur.

Hilary Benn: We have made no specific assessment; however we are aware of threats to humanitarian aid workers as a result of the insecurity there, which will have been exacerbated by the recent conflict.

Darfur

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what expansion of humanitarian access to (a) drought-affected people in West and North Darfur and (b) vulnerable people in South Darfur has taken place since June 2003; and what contribution has been made by his Department.

Hilary Benn: Humanitarian access to Darfur is constrained by the continuing conflict between government and rebel forces in the area. We have made representations to both sides that they should allow access from recognised international relief organisations for humanitarian purposes. I myself raised the issue with the Government of Sudan in my most recent visit there.
	After June 2003 access improved briefly but, with the breakdown of the ceasefire and resumption of hostilities, access is now limited to the three provincial capitals.
	We continue to make efforts to help both sides achieve a peaceful solution to their dispute.

Darfur

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the level of movement of people and goods in Darfur.

Hilary Benn: Conflict between government and rebel forces continues in Darfur. The Government controls the main towns, and has varying control in those areas outside. The rebels appear to be able to move freely in most areas, and can close roads between towns. Much movement between towns is by air. This is clearly impacting on the free movement of people and goods in the region.
	Of particular concern is the difficulty of gaining access for humanitarian work: United Nations reports indicate that they have access to less than 15 per cent. of the population. Recent reports suggest the situation will worsen. My humanitarian adviser will be travelling to Sudan next week and plans to visit Darfur to assess conditions there.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the United Nations about the planned joint assessment of the humanitarian situation in Ituri, referred to in his written answer of 22 May 2003 to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman).

Hilary Benn: The UN joint assessment mission that took place last May found a critical humanitarian situation, a lack of security due to simmering tension between rival Hendu and Lema militias, and the town of Bunia nearly deserted. Aid groups were only able to assist a small number of people within Bunia, providing medical services to some 9,000 at camps concentrated around the local airport and 6,000 sheltering near the local UN compound. They had virtually no access to populations elsewhere in Ituri. My reply to the hon. Member of 19 January 2004, Official Report, column 931W, describes the improvements since that assessment.
	We have regular discussions with the UN over the humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including Ituri. In addition, a DFID humanitarian adviser visited the DRC in June, and following his assessment we agreed to fund a number of humanitarian activities in Ituri and North Kivu totalling over £1.8 million.

Ethiopia

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the government of Ethiopia regarding acceptance of the Independent Boundary Commission's proposed boundary between Ethiopia and Eritrea; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Her Majesty's Government keep in touch with the Governments of both Ethiopia and Eritrea at all levels. Towards the end of last year the Prime Minister wrote to both the Prime Minister of Ethiopia and the President of Eritrea indicating that the Boundary Commission's decisions are final and binding and that the two parties should engage in dialogue.
	I met the Ethiopian ambassador last month, during which we discussed the Peace Process. I also discussed the matter with the Eritrean Foreign Minister during his visit to London at the beginning of December.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa, my hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin) has had extensive discussions on the Boundary Commission's report including meetings with the President of Eritrea and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia during his recent visit to the two countries.

Ethiopia

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much development aid has been provided to Ethiopia in each of the last three years.

Hilary Benn: The total net Official Development Assistance (oda) to Ethiopia over the last three years for which figures are available was as follows. These and all other figures include both development and humanitarian assistance.
	
		
			  US$ million 
		
		
			 2000 693.00 
			 2001 1,157.70 
			 2002 1,306.70 
		
	
	DFID bilateral expenditure in Ethiopia over the same period was:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2000 7.2 
			 2001 18.9 
			 2002 27.6 
		
	
	EC total net oda was:
	2000: £45.6 million of which DFID's imputed multilateral share was £8.4 million.
	2001: £69.4 million of which DFID's imputed multilateral share was £11.5 million.
	2002: Figures not yet available.

EU Development Assistance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts about possible further reforms to EU development assistance.

Hilary Benn: The EC's reform of its external assistance programmes is coming to an end. The UK Government, together with other member states, have urged the Commission to undertake an in-depth final assessment of this programme to assess its impact but, more importantly, to identify any need for further reforms. We believe further reforms should focus on increasing the level of resources to low income countries and also introducing more consistent use of best development practice throughout all EC programmes. A stronger focus on quality and results and a more rational institutional set up for managing EC aid are also important.

Human Trafficking

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reduction in the trafficking of women in (a) Laos, (b) Thailand, (c) China (Yunnan), (d) Cambodia and (e) Vietnam has been achieved by the International Labour Organisation.

Hilary Benn: Because the activity is criminal there are no accurate figures for the numbers of people who are trafficked and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) lacks hard data on progress with reductions. DFID is supporting ILO with a £6 million grant (over five years) to reduce vulnerability to trafficking through low incomes and ignorance of the realities. There is work in all five countries. The indications from China are that trafficking has been reduced or eliminated in communities (numbering around 80,000) participating in the programme. The programme includes work to improve the data.

Iraq

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian assistance has been provided to Iraq since April 2003 by (a) Australia, (b) Austria, (c) Bangladesh, (d) China, (e) Croatia, (f) the Czech Republic, (g) Denmark, (h) Finland, (i) France, (j) Germany, (k) Greece, (l) Iran, (m) Ireland, (n) Italy, (o) Japan, (p) Korea, (q) Kuwait, (r) Malaysia, (s) the Netherlands, (t) New Zealand, (u) Norway, (v) Russia, (w) Saudi Arabia, (x) Spain, (y) Sweden, (z) Switzerland and (aa) the United States of America.

Hilary Benn: The following table shows contributions announced for humanitarian aid to Iraq since April 2003:
	
		US$ millions
		
			 Country Contribution Details 
		
		
			 Australia 64.9 UN agencies, ICRC, and NGOs 
			 Austria 1.1 UNICEF 
			 Bangladesh 2 Food assistance 
			 China N/a Tents 
			 Croatia 2.8 Blankets, sleeping bags, flour, sugar, water purification disinfectants 
			 Czech Republic 41 UNCHR, WFP, and assistance for refugees, health, and education 
			 Denmark 54 Various 
			 Finland 5.1 ICRC, UN OCHA, UNICEF, WFP 
			 France 10.7 UNICEF, WFP, NGOs 
			 Germany 50 UNCHR, WFP, ICRC 
			 Greece 4.6 UNHCR, ICRC, NGOs 
			 Iran 11 Refugee camps 
			 Ireland 55.3 UN agencies and NGOs 
			 Italy 23 FAO UNICEF, WFP, WHO and IFRC 
			 Japan 212 UN agencies, NGOs, bilateral assistance 
			 Korea 10 UN agencies and Korean NGOs 
			 Kuwait 40 UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, ICRC, water and sanitation, health 
			 Malaysia 2.5 Humanitarian assistance 
			 The Netherlands 22 UN Consolidated appeal and ICRC 
			 New Zealand 3.3 UN agencies and NGOs 
			 Norway 56 UN agencies, ICRC, and NGOs 
			 Russia N/a 500MT of grain 
			 Saudi Arabia 13.3 Medical assistance 
			 Spain 56.7 UN agencies, bilateral refugee assistance, and NGOs 
			 Sweden 38 OCHA, UNICEF, ICRC, IFRC 
			 Switzerland 21.9 ICRC, UNCHR, IOM, IFRC, OCHA 
			 United States of America 623.6 UN agencies, ICRC, IFRC, and NGOs 
		
	
	The countries listed above made the following pledges of reconstruction assistance for 2004–07 at the Madrid Donor's Conference on Iraq last October:
	
		US$ millions
		
			 Country Pledge 
		
		
			 Australia 46 
			 Austria 5 
			 Bangladesh — 
			 China 25 
			 Croatia — 
			 Czech Republic 15 
			 Denmark 27 
			 Finland 6 
			 France — 
			 Germany — 
			 Greece 4 
			 Iran 5 
			 Ireland 4 
			 Italy 236 
			 Japan 4,914 
			 Korea 200 
			 Kuwait 500 
			 Malaysia — 
			 The Netherlands 9 
			 New Zealand 3 
			 Norway 13 
			 Russia — 
			 Saudi Arabia 500 
			 Spain 220 
			 Sweden 33 
			 Switzerland — 
			 United States of America 18,649

Iraq

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent estimate is of the total cost of post-war reconstruction in Iraq; and how much (a) the United States and (b) EU member states will contribute to meeting that cost.

Hilary Benn: Needs assessments prepared by the United Nations and the World Bank, by the Coalition Provisional Authority, and Iraqi administrators, have estimated the reconstruction costs for Iraq to be $55 billion for 2004–07. These plans were presented by Iraqi Ministers at the Madrid Donor's Conference on Iraq in October 2003, and at least $33 billion in grants and soft loans was pledged. This includes pledges from the US of $18.6 billion, and a further $1 billion from EU member states (and acceding countries).
	The balance of Iraq's investment requirements should be met from loans, foreign direct investment and Iraqi oil revenues.

Iraq

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how often meetings take place between representatives of his Department and the Coalition Provisional Authority to review progress of CPA projects funded by the Department.

Hilary Benn: The CPA projects funded by DFID are located in southern Iraq. Members of DFID staff seconded to CPA South are responsible for keeping these projects under review. They report to DFID Headquarters frequently.

Swaziland

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of his Department's aid to Swaziland went directly into development projects in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage was allocated to the national government.

Hilary Benn: In 2002–03 (the last year for which figures are available) DFID spent around £800,000 bilaterally on development assistance to Swaziland. None of this was channelled through the Swazi Government.

Learning Disabilities (Iraq/Afghanistan)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the number of people suffering from learning disabilities in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan.

Hilary Benn: In Iraq, UNICEF are taking the lead, with USAID, on assessing the post-war state of the education sector. UNICEF are currently undertaking an education survey to be completed by the end of February. But due to continuing high levels of insecurity for staff of international organisations, and low-capacity in many parts of the Iraqi education system, it currently remains difficult even to mount a simple survey of the number of schools, classes, pupils and teachers—and only in a limited range of geographical areas. We therefore understand that issues such as the number of special needs students will not be included in the present survey. UNICEF do, however, have a strong concern for special needs and will be seeking to encourage the Ministry of Education to take action in this area at the earliest realistic opportunity.
	In Afghanistan, surveys show that one in three children suffer from iodine deficiency which can lead to goitre, learning difficulties and, in extreme cases, severe mental impairment. UNICEF have begun a national iodized salt programme and are working through Mother and Child Health Clinics to treat and prevent iron-deficiency anaemia.

Malaria

David Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the rise in the reported cases of malaria in Africa.

Hilary Benn: While great progress has been made in reducing malarial mortality in the 1970s and 1980s, in many parts of Africa malarial mortality rates are now increasing. Malaria is Africa's leading cause of child mortality and constitutes 10 per cent. of the continent's overall disease burden. Approximately 3,000 people die from malaria each day in sub-Saharan Africa, most of them children.
	A key cause of the rise in malaria deaths is an increase in resistance to antimalarial drugs, and the lack of affordable alternatives. In addition, the capacity of health systems to respond effectively to malaria is often inadequate.
	None the less, malaria remains a disease that is preventable, treatable and curable. The Department for International Development (DFID) remains strongly committed to meeting the Millennium Development Goal to halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria by 2015, recognising the importance of malaria, not just in terms of disease burden, but also the potential it has to undermine economic growth and human development.
	Since 1998 DFID has provided in excess of £110 million to support malaria control activities globally and at country level. At the global level this includes support to Roll Back Malaria; a $280 million commitment to the Global Fund to Fights AIDS, TB and Malaria (which will fund distribution of insecticide impregnated bednets and appropriate anti-malarial medication); support to the Medical Research Council; support to the Malaria Consortium Resource Centre; and initiatives to help find new low-cost malaria treatments.
	DFID also supports malaria control activities at country-level through our bilateral country programmes, either through direct support to the health sector or through general budget support. DFID is committed to supporting national governments and their partners to help ensure that effective drugs and commodities are accessible to the poor. Since 1997 we have committed over £1.5 billion to strengthen health systems to deliver vital drugs and health care treatment.

Maternal Mortality

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what the results have been of his Department's work with the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and UN Population Fund to strengthen global leadership on maternal mortality;
	(2)  what the nature is of his Department's collaboration with the World Bank to strengthen global leadership on maternal mortality;
	(3)  what performance targets he has set for his Department's involvement in the World Health Organisation Partnership for Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health.

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development makes significant contributions to UNFPA, UNICEF, the World Bank and other international and national civil society groups to support their efforts to improve maternal health.
	For the period July 2002 to June 2005, DFID has contributed £300 million per year (10.14 per cent. of total donor contributions) to the World Bank. In 2003, the percentage share of IDA's total lending on health and other social services was 19 per cent. ($1.4 billion). DFID country based offices work closely with the World Bank in financing and developing the health sector with country governments.
	The Department provided £12.5 million in 2003 to WHO international programmes, including support for their "Making Pregnancy Safer" Programme. This programme is providing technical support to countries to disseminate and apply evidence-based policy and practice in maternal health, particularly on skilled attendance, management of complications, and strengthening health systems. This includes work with government on regulatory frameworks that better support women's health, on training programmes for skilled attendance and on translating national maternal health strategies into provincial and district plans and budgets. The programme is also carrying out research to support its work, for example, on links between maternal and newborn health and poverty.
	DFID is represented on the steering committee of the Partnership for Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health together with the World Bank, the WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and other organisations. The Partnership aims to raise awareness of the extent and consequences of maternal deaths and ill health, disseminate lessons learnt, and encourage action to help vulnerable populations. DFID will be monitoring the impact that its contribution makes to global partnerships, including the Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health Partnership.
	DFID gave UNFPA £18 million in 2003. UNFPA plays an important role in providing the widest achievable range of safe and effective family planning and contraceptive methods, including condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS. UNFPA is putting in place a medium term strategic plan, which seeks to enhance its organisational effectiveness. The UNFPA programme focuses on family planning, skilled attendance at birth and emergency obstetrics to prevent maternal mortality. Reproductive health and rights continue to be a key priority area for DFID and we remain firmly committed to the 1994 ICPD target of achieving access to reproductive health for all by 2015. We have continued to lobby hard for reproductive rights in international fora, and we work closely with partners such as the United Nations Population Fund.
	DFID supports UNICEF's Medium Term Strategic Plan and in 2003 we provided £17 million in core resources. UNICEF implements programmes aimed at reducing maternal mortality. Achievements in this area during 2002 were:
	In 58 countries with high child and maternal mortality and morbidity rates, UNICEF implemented an integrated approach to early childhood development that linked national policies, the provision of basic services (preventive health, nutrition, safe water, sanitation and hygiene), and improved family care practices for young children and mothers.
	Improved families' access to insecticide-treated mosquito nets, anti-malarial and other essential drugs, and micro-nutrient supplements in 44 countries, primarily in Africa. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to malaria.
	Strengthened capacity for safe delivery, including training of obstetricians and birth attendants, provision of birth kits and equipment. A strategy for emergency obstetric care was successfully implemented in the six South Asian countries where most of the world's maternal deaths occur.
	Improved access for HIV-infected mothers and their partners to antiretroviral therapy (in conjunction with other UN agencies).

Poverty (Definition)

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what definition he uses of (a) poor and (b) middle income countries; and if he will list the countries so defined.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The poorest countries are those classified as low income, while poor countries also include those classified as middle income. DFID uses the same classification system as the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD. Under this system, countries are classified according to their GNI per capita levels in 1998:
	Low income countries are those with a 1998 GNI per capita less than $760.
	Lower middle income countries have a 1998 GNI per capita level of $761 or above but not exceeding $3,030.
	Upper middle income countries have a 1998 GNI per capita level of $3,031 or above but not exceeding $9,360.
	The following list shows the countries that fall into each of these categories and current statistics are based on these groups.
	These classifications will change for aid flows after 1 January 2003 when thresholds based on 2001 GNI per capita levels will be used.
	Low income
	Afghanistan
	Angola
	Armenia
	Azerbaijan
	Bangladesh
	Benin
	Bhutan
	Burkina Faso
	Burma
	Burundi
	Cambodia
	Cameroon
	Central African Republic
	Chad
	China
	Comoros
	Congo
	Congo (Dem. Rep.)
	Cote d'lvoire
	Eritrea
	Ethiopia
	Gambia
	Ghana
	Guinea
	Guinea-Bissau
	Haiti
	Honduras
	India
	Indonesia
	Kenya
	Korea (North)
	Kyrgyzstan
	Laos
	Lesotho
	Liberia
	Madagascar
	Malawi
	Mali
	Mauritania
	Moldova
	Mongolia
	Mozambique
	Nepal
	Nicaragua
	Niger
	Nigeria
	Pakistan
	Rwanda
	Sao Tome and Principe
	Senegal
	Sierra Leone
	Solomon Islands
	Somalia
	Sudan
	Tajikistan
	Tanzania
	Togo
	Turkmenistan
	Tuvalu
	Uganda
	Vietnam
	Yemen
	Zambia
	Zimbabwe
	Lower middle income
	Albania
	Algeria
	Belarus
	Belize
	Bolivia
	Bosnia and Herzegovina
	Bulgaria
	Cape Verde
	Colombia
	Costa Rica
	Cuba
	Djibouti
	Dominica
	Dominican Republic
	East Timor
	Ecuador
	Egypt
	El Salvador
	Equatorial Guinea
	Fiji
	Georgia
	Guatemala
	Guyana
	Indonesia
	Iran
	Iraq
	Jamaica
	Jordan
	Kazakhstan
	Kiribati
	Latvia
	Lithuania
	Macedonia (FYR of)
	Maldives
	Marshall Islands
	Micronesia, Fed. States
	Moldova
	Morocco
	Namibia
	Nieu
	Papua New Guinea
	Paraguay
	Peru
	Philippines
	Pitcairn
	Romania
	Russia
	Samoa (Western)
	Serbia and Montenegro
	Slovakia
	South Africa
	Sri Lanka
	St. Vincent
	Surinam
	Swaziland
	Syria
	Thailand
	Tokelau
	Tonga
	Tunisia
	Turkmenistan
	Ukraine
	Uzbekistan
	Vanuatu
	Wallis and Futuna
	West Bank and Gaza Strip
	Upper middle income
	Anguilla
	Antigua and Barbuda
	Argentina
	Bahrain
	Barbados
	Botswana
	Brazil
	Chile
	Cook Islands
	Croatia
	Czech Republic
	Estonia
	Gabon
	Grenada
	Hungary
	Lebanon
	Malaysia
	Mayotte
	Mauritius
	Mexico
	Montserrat
	Nauru
	Oman
	Palau Islands
	Panama
	Poland
	Saudi Arabia
	Seychelles
	St. Helena and Dependencies
	St. Kitts-Nevis
	St. Lucia
	Trinidad and Tobago
	Turkey
	Turks and Caicos Islands
	Uruguay
	Venezuela

Poverty Reduction Strategies

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the adoption and implementation of effective poverty reduction strategies by 2004 in all countries accessing International Development Association high impact or adjustment lending.

Hilary Benn: All countries accessing resources, including adjustment loans, from the concessional lending arm of the World Bank—the International Development Association (IDA)—are required to have completed, or be in the process of completing, full Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). Of the 53 countries that are already in the process, 32 are implementing full PRSPs. In 2003, 14 countries with interim strategies moved to full PRSPs. It is expected that, during 2004, a similar number of interim strategies will be finalised.
	DFID attaches importance to countries preparing their PRSPs in a way that builds and sustains country ownership through broad participation and consultation. Some countries take longer than others to finalise their PRSPs, particularly if they are affected by conflict.
	DFID continues to press for improvements in the PRSP process to correct weaknesses that have been identified, such as inadequate specification of priorities, insufficient attention to public expenditure management systems, and weak analysis of the poverty impact of policies. We welcome the progress which IDA is making in aligning its assistance in support of PRSPs, and are encouraging other multilateral and bilateral donors to do so, too.

Sudan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of (a) the level and (b) the effectiveness of humanitarian aid in Southern Sudan.

Hilary Benn: For 2003 the UN reports that $237 million was provided for humanitarian assistance in Sudan, compared to a Humanitarian Appeal of $262 million: although the UN do not provide a breakdown, more than half of this is spent in south Sudan. In 2004 the UN is requesting $465 million. The larger amount this year takes into account the need to fund a wider range of activities in expectation of a peace agreement to end the civil war.
	We consider humanitarian aid in south Sudan to be effective. We provide significant support to agencies who are active there.

Sudan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many international secondments have been made by his Department to Sudan in each of the last three years; and if he will list their responsibilities.

Hilary Benn: There are two members of DFID staff seconded to Sudan :
	One is seconded to the post of UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan (May 2002 to April 2005).
	The other is seconded to the United Nations Development Programme as Post Conflict Recovery Programme specialist (April 2003 to September 2004)

Tanzania

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the (a) level and (b) geographical distribution of food shortages in Tanzania.

Hilary Benn: The Government of Tanzania (GoT) carried out an initial crop assessment in May 2003 followed by a rapid vulnerability assessment in July. A further vulnerability assessment will not be appropriate until after the February 2004 harvest is complete. However, food insecurity remains widespread with pockets of scarcity in at least 17 regions of Tanzania. As requested by GoT, DFID is funding Save the Children and Oxfam to facilitate the production of a food security update over the coming month.

UN GDP Target

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development by when the Government are committed to achieving the UN target of 0.7 per cent. of national income to be spent on development assistance.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	Since 1997 the UK's level of official development assistance (oda) has increased in real terms by 93 per cent. UK oda will reach an oda/gni ratio of 0.40 per cent. in 2005–06, up from 0.33 per cent. in 2003–04, exceeding the EU target of 0.39 per cent. for member states, and more double the current G7 average of 0.19 per cent. The UK remains committed to the UN target of 0.7 per cent. oda/GNI and to meeting the Millennium Development Goals. To this end the Chancellor has proposed an International Finance Facility that would raise an additional £50 billion per year for development assistance up to 2015. Any timetable for reaching 0.7 per cent. oda/GNI will be a matter for future Parliaments.

Zimbabwe

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact which the decision of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to commence foreign currency auctions will have on the ability of aid agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance in the country.

Hilary Benn: As a result of the new auction system, the sale of foreign exchange at a realistic rate within Zimbabwe is now legal. This should make financial operations easier for aid agencies when exchanging their foreign exchange for Zimbabwe dollars and we do not expect it to have any negative impact on the ability of aid agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance.

Zimbabwe

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how much money his Department has contributed since the start of the 2003–04 financial year through (a) non-governmental organisations and (b) UN feeding programmes to assist the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe; and how much he plans to spend in 2004–05;
	(2)  if he will formally request the Government of Zimbabwe to release the results of its vulnerability assessment;
	(3)  if he will formally request the Government of Zimbabwe to release a revised crop forecast and the assumptions on which it is based;
	(4)  if he will list the areas in Zimbabwe which suffer from (a) raised levels of malnutrition, (b) unmet needs and (c) continuing dependence on food aid.

Hilary Benn: The information requested is as follows:
	Financial
	1. So far this financial year DFID have spent £20.5 million in Zimbabwe, from a total budget of £35 million. Of the total budget, we have committed £5 million to WFP for general food distribution and we are considering a further contribution. £19 million will be channelled through NGOs for targeted food distributions and subsistence farming inputs. The remaining funds are for HIV/AIDS mitigation, prevention and basic vaccines. Due to the anticipated continuation of the humanitarian crisis, funding for the financial year 2004–05 is expected to be at a similar level.
	Vulnerability assessment
	2. The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) conducts the national vulnerability assessments that form the basis of the humanitarian response. This committee is composed of government, NGO and UN Agencies' representatives. The most recent assessment undertaken by the ZimVAC is the Urban Vulnerability Assessment, which the Government are expected to release by the end of this month.
	Crop forecast
	3. Initial government crop forecasts are usually made by the end of January. However, given the present capacity of the Government, these are unlikely to be accurate or reliable. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation are already working on their own forecasts which should also be available at the end of January. Preliminary estimates by one of the major donors suggest a harvest of around 500,000 MT of maize. This compares to a 2003 cereal harvest of about 900,000 MT and a cereal requirement of approximately 2 million MT.
	Malnutrition
	4. (a) The most recent national nutrition survey, conducted in February 2003, showed that levels of acute malnutrition were relatively low throughout Zimbabwe (approximately 5 per cent.) in comparison to other food-based emergencies, suggesting the effective coverage of the humanitarian relief operation. However, levels of severe acute malnutrition are disproportionately high relative to levels of moderate malnutrition, suggesting a high incidence of paediatric HIV/AIDS. Provinces with the highest rates of acute malnutrition were Manicaland (6.6 per cent.) and Midlands (6.0 per cent.).
	Unmet needs
	(b) Unmet needs exist most evidently in areas that were not addressed by the original UN WFP operation in the expectation that the Zimbabwean Government would make food and agricultural inputs available. These areas include the former commercial farming areas and urban centres such as Harare and Bulawayo. The humanitarian community is working to address these needs.
	Food aid dependence
	(c) Dependence on food aid is a concern, particularly in areas of low employment and agricultural activity, such as Binga District where approximately 90 per cent. of the population are dependent on food aid. DFID is working in collaboration with development partners to reduce food aid dependence by providing agricultural inputs to enable subsistence farmers to grow food crops to feed themselves.

Zimbabwe

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what assistance his Department (a) has given and (b) plans to give to humanitarian aid workers affected by the banking crisis in Zimbabwe;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the banking crisis in Zimbabwe on the ability to (a) pay aid workers and (b) deliver aid;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact on food aid to Zimbabwe arising from the estimated $111 million shortfall in donations to the World Food Programme.

Hilary Benn: The information is as follows:
	Humanitarian aid workers affected by the banking crisis
	My Department is in frequent contact with the non-governmental organisations delivering UK funded humanitarian aid in Zimbabwe. The banking crisis has not significantly affected their operating capacity so far but we will continue to monitor the situation closely.
	Impact of the banking crisis
	The main impact of the banking crisis has been that cheques from a few, generally newer, banks were not accepted by a number of retailers and the more established banks. Few, if any, of the aid agencies and their employees working with my Department have accounts with these banks. Following the intervention of the Zimbabwe Reserve Bank, these affected banks are now clearing their cheques again and individuals have been able to access their accounts.
	WFP funding shortfall
	On 16 January 2004 the World Food Programme's appeal of approximately US$195 million for the current emergency operation in Zimbabwe was 80 per cent. funded. The funding shortfall is therefore approximately US$39 million. DFID have already committed £5 million to WFP operations in Zimbabwe this financial year and we are currently considering a further pledge. DFID will contribute approximately £30 million to humanitarian operations this year and has contributed a total of £62 million since the start of the crisis in September 2001.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Airport Security

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations he has made to the owners of Belfast International airport on maintaining adequate police security at the airport.

Jane Kennedy: My officials have had recent and ongoing communications with the Belfast International airport authorities and other interested parties to ensure that appropriate policing standards are maintained.

Airport Security

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the implications for security of the reduction in the number of police officers patrolling Belfast International airport.

Jane Kennedy: Following a review of security at the Belfast International airport, new arrangements have been put in place for some static police posts. However, there is to be no reduction in the number of police officers patrolling at Belfast International airport, neither within the terminal building or the wider complex. Indeed, new policing arrangements will result in a net increase in this activity.

Caesarean Sections

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to review practice on the performing of caesarean sections in hospitals in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: In 2001, Northern Ireland hospitals took part in the "National Sentinel Caesarean Section Audit", in collaboration with the Department of Health in England and Wales and the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). The audit was undertaken by the Clinical Effectiveness Support Unit of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and was carried out in response to concerns over the variation in caesarean section rates across the United Kingdom.
	Following the audit, the Clinical Effectiveness Support Unit on behalf of NICE has been developing clinical guidelines for caesarean section. The Department, Boards and Trusts will carefully consider these guidelines when they are produced. In the meantime, the Department will continue to work with the professionals concerned to ensure that care delivered locally is of the highest quality.

Caesarean Sections

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of births in Northern Ireland were by caesarean section in the last 12 months for which figures were available; and what the figures were (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years ago.

Angela Smith: The table sets out the percentage of births to Northern Ireland residents that were by caesarean section.
	
		Percentage
		
			 Year of Birth  Caesarean Sections 
		
		
			  
			  
			 1988(8) N/A 
			 1993 14.2 
			 1998 20.3 
			 2003(9) 26.2 
		
	
	(8) Data not available for 1988
	(9) Data for 2003 is provisional
	Source:
	Child Health System

Lesser-used Languages

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his estimate is of the number of speakers of (a) each European lesser-used language and (b) other languages used in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The following table provides details of speakers of lesser-used languages recognised under the Council of Europe's Charter for Regional or Minority Languages:
	
		
			 Language Speakers Source and comments 
		
		
			 Irish 106,844 Persons aged three and over (NI census, 2001). In total 167,490 persons have 'some knowledge' of Irish 
			 Ulster-Scots 35,000 Approximate, based on 2 per cent. of population. (NI Life and Times Survey, 1999) 
		
	
	We have no information on the number of users of other European lesser-used languages. I estimate their numbers to be minimal.
	The approximate numbers of speakers of other languages used in Northern Ireland are as follows:
	
		
			 Language Speakers Source and comment 
		
		
			 English 1,700,000+ All Irish and Ulster-Scots speakers are bilingual. See "In other words", Daniel Holder (2003) for information on knowledge of English among speakers of other languages 
			 Chinese 4,200 Various dialects are spoken. NI census (2001) recorded 4,200 people of Chinese ethnic origin. Holder (2003) estimates 8,000 
			 British Sign Language 3,000 British Deaf Association 
			 Irish Sign Language 1,500 British Deaf Association 
			 Cant/Shelta/Gammon 1,700 Oral languages of the Irish Traveller Community Holder (2003), Kirk and O Baoill (2002) 
			 Arabic 1,000–1,500 Holder (2003), Modern Standard Arabic, also including speakers of Western and Eastern Arabic 
			 Portuguese 1,000+ Holder (2003) 
			 Tagalog 600 Holder (2003) (National Language of the Philippines) 
			 Bengali 450–500 Holder (2003) 
			 Hindi or Punjabi 1,700 Holder (2003) 
			 Southern Indian Languages 500 Holder (2003) includes Tamil, Kannada, Kanta, Malay ala, Marati, Oriya and Telugu 
			 Farsi 350 Holder (2003) 
		
	
	There are also smaller numbers of other language speakers such as Albanian; Turkish; African Languages such as Swahili; Afghani; Russian; Japanese; Hebrew; Korean; Vietnamese; Mallayo; Thai and speakers of other European Languages such as French and Spanish (both from those countries and from other countries where those languages are spoken). In total there are over 70 minority ethnic languages spoken in Northern Ireland (Holder, 2003).

HIV

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of HIV sufferers in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The estimated number of HIV sufferers in Northern Ireland between 1998 and 2002 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  HIV infected individuals 
		
		
			 1998 181 
			 1999 195 
			 2000 214 
			 2001 233 
			 2002 257 
		
	
	Notes:
	The figures refer to persons diagnosed with HIV and show the cumulative number of HIV infected individuals each year, i.e. the number up to and including the relevant year. Some persons who are no longer living in Northern Ireland may be included.
	Source:
	Health Protection Agency

House Fires

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many house fires there were in Northern Ireland in 2003; and how many deaths arose from them.

Angela Smith: The total number of fires in dwellings during 2003 was 1606, from which there were 11 deaths.

Industrial Tribunals

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the timescale is for the issuing of industrial tribunal decisions to the appellant.

Jane Kennedy: There is no statutory time scale for issuing industrial tribunal decisions to the parties. However the Office of the Industrial Tribunals and the Fair Employment Tribunal aim to issue 80 per cent. of decisions within six weeks of the end of the hearing.

Hare Hunting

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy to increase the three week consultation period before imposing the temporary ban in hunting and coursing of hares in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The proposed temporary ban on the killing or taking, or the sale or purchase, of Irish hares would be made through a special protection order, under the provisions of section 7C(1) of the Game Preservation Act (Northern Ireland) 1928. Section 7F(5) of the Act requires that notice of the proposed ban be placed in the Belfast Gazette, specifying the time within which objections may be made. A four-week period for this purpose was considered to be reasonable.
	Accordingly, a notice was placed in the 31 October edition of the Belfast Gazette, specifying a four-week deadline, to 28 November, for objections to be lodged. The Department of the Environment also published the notice in the three Belfast daily newspapers on 3, 4 and 5 November and wrote directly to a number of interested parties.
	Almost 3,000 objections to the proposed Order were received within the specified period. Such a volume of replies would suggest that the period for objection was sufficient for those who wished to express their opposition to the proposed ban. I expect to make a final decision on the proposed Order shortly.

NHS Suspensions

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many employees of the NHS in Northern Ireland are suspended from work;
	(2)  what the cost to the NHS in Northern Ireland was in the last 12 months of the suspension from work of employees;
	(3)  how many NHS employees in Northern Ireland were dismissed in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: 26 Health and Personal Social Services employees are currently suspended from work.
	The cost to the Health and Personal Social Services of employees suspended from work in the financial year April 2002 to March 2003 was £214,185. This is the most recent period for which figures are available:
	The number of Health and Personal Social Services employees whose contract of employment have been terminated on disciplinary grounds in the last five years is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Permanent staff Temporary staff Total 
		
		
			 1998–99 34 1 35 
			 1999–2000 35 3 38 
			 2000–01 48 3 51 
			 2001–02 45 7 52 
			 2002–03 30 2 32

Organised Crime

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on measures to tackle organised crime in Northern Ireland.

Jane Kennedy: The Organised Crime Task Force was established to further enhance co-operation between the law enforcement agencies in combating organised crime and to co-ordinate and focus their efforts. This has resulted in greater success and effectiveness and I pay tribute to the activity of the law enforcement agencies, which have made a significant impact against the organised criminals over the past 12 months. These have included: unprecedented successes against illegal drug importation; a 50 per cent. reduction in the number of attacks on cash-in-transit vehicles; and a second year of growth in the levels of legitimate deliveries of road fuel oils into Northern Ireland after five years of decline.
	The Government are also fully committed to working with the Government in the Irish Republic to develop a cohesive strategy to tackle and manage the joint response to cross-border organised crime.

Private Health Care

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the sum spent in Northern Ireland on private health care in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available. However, a report published by my Department in April 2002, "Securing our Future Health: Taking a Long-term view-Northern Ireland Position", calculated that in 2000, some 6 per cent. of the Northern Ireland population was covered by private medical insurance, compared to 12.5 per cent. in Great Britain.

Racism (Chinese Community)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he is taking to deal with the problem of racism and racist incidents towards the Chinese community in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: The Community Safety Strategy, being implemented through the Community Safety Unit of the Northern Ireland Office, identified Key Issue 6 : Offences Motivated by Prejudice and Hatred, as a central theme in making Northern Ireland a safer place for all its citizens.
	Specifically, it seeks to reduce the levels of crime motivated by sectarianism, and promote and enhance the safety of minority ethnic residents.
	Currently, it is facilitating a working group of relevant voluntary and statutory organisations, which aims to establish a clear framework for the recording and monitoring of racial incidents. It is hoped to bring forward such an agreed framework by the spring 2004.
	Also, within its community safety grant programme, the challenge competition, it has provided funding towards four projects that have a central theme of countering prejudice and hatred, at a total value of £273,255.
	In addition to these initiatives the Government will publish shortly for consultation, draft legislation for Northern Ireland, aimed at tackling racially motivated offences. The proposed draft Order introduces provisions that will require sentencers, where offences are aggravated by such hostility, to treat racial and religious aggravation as an aggravating factor when sentencing. (The legislation will also cover offences motivated by hatred of sexual orientation.) The provisions will also increase maximum sentences available for certain specified, mainly violent, offences including where racial, religious or sexual aggravation is proven. While I recognise the unacceptable nature of recent attacks, these provisions will cover a broad range of racial and ethnic groups, not just the Chinese community.
	The Government have frequently put on record their abhorrence of all forms of intolerance and are committed to eradicating such manifestations of hatred, whether based on racism or based on sectarianism. I reiterate the acknowledgement in the Belfast Agreement of the unique opportunity that exists here to bring about a society
	"which will recognise the full and equal legitimacy and worth of identities, senses of allegiance and ethos of all sections of the community in Northern Ireland".

River Pollution

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to prevent the discharge of harmful materials into rivers.

Angela Smith: Under the Water (NI) Order 1999, it is an offence to discharge or deposit, whether knowingly or otherwise, any poisonous, noxious or polluting matter so that it enters a waterway, the penalty for which on summary conviction is imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or a fine not exceeding £20,000, or both. The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS), an Executive Agency of the Department of the Environment (DOE), is responsible for enforcing this legislation.
	To prevent pollution incidents from occurring, and to minimise the effect of any pollution on the environment, pollution prevention advice is offered by EHS to educate the public and industry, in promoting good environmental practices. If a pollution incident is reported or discovered, EHS aims to locate and stop the source of the pollution, identify the polluter and if appropriate, collect sufficient evidence to secure a prosecution.
	It is also an offence to discharge effluent to waterways or groundwater without the consent of the DOE. EHS is responsible for issuing "consents to discharge" that detail specific conditions relating to the quality and quantity of effluent discharged. The conditions are formulated to ensure that the discharge can be sustained by the receiving waterway without damage to the aquatic environment and without breaching national or EC Directive standards. Failure to comply with the conditions of a consent is also an offence under the Water Order, and where consent compliance is consistently poor, or there is a pollution incident, enforcement action will be considered.
	Water Service is not bound by the statutory discharge consent requirements of the Water Order, however a separate but similar regulatory system has been established to control Water Service discharges. This system has been detailed in the recently published report "Regulation of Water Service Discharges 2001", a copy of which has been placed in the Assembly library. The report is also available on the EHS website at http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/pubs/publications/Reg WSD.pdf

School Fruit

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on plans to make fruit available to school pupils.

Angela Smith: A pilot Fresh Fruit in Schools Scheme was launched in Northern Ireland in October 2002. It currently provides a free piece of fruit daily to over 4,800 Primary 1 and 2 children in 87 primary schools within Health Action Zone areas. An initial evaluation of the scheme has recently been completed and consideration is currently being given to extending the scheme to include a larger number of children.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of sufferers of (a) chlamydia, (b) gonorrhoea and (c) syphilis in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: Information is not available on the estimated number of sufferers of (a) chlamydia, (b) gonorrhoea and (c) syphilis in Northern Ireland. Information is, however, available on the number of cases seen each year at Genito-Urinary Medicine clinics, and is shown for the years 1998 to 2002 in the following table.
	
		
			  Cases seen 
			  Chlamydia Gonorrhoea Syphilis 
		
		
			 1998 660 61 0 
			 1999 794 110 1 
			 2000 963 143 0 
			 2001 947 148 11 
			 2002 1,170 117 20 
		
	
	Notes:
	The figures refer to the number of cases seen at Genito-Urinary Medicine clinics each year. Some of these cases may also have been seen in previous years, therefore it is not possible to provide a cumulative total of persons with these diseases. Figures are shown in respect of uncomplicated genital chlamydia, uncomplicated gonorrhoea and primary and secondary syphilis.
	Source:
	Health Protection Agency

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Democratic Republic of the Congo

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support and advice are being given to the interim government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in respect of (a) respect for human rights and (b) the nurture of democratic institutions.

Chris Mullin: We are committed to promoting respect for human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through continued dialogue with the DRC authorities, the UN Mission in Congo (MONUC—who have specialist human rights staff) and human rights Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
	In collaboration with other donors we are considering ways to provide core financial support to the five Democracy Support Commissions that form part of the framework of transitional institutions in the DRC. These are the Independent Electoral Commission; the High Media Authority; the Anti-Corruption and Ethics Commission; the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; and the Human Rights Observatory.
	We have contributed Euro1 million to the European Community/World bank Trust Fund to provide start-up logistical support to DRC transitional institutions and new Ministries created by the 2002 Global Accord. We are providing technical assistance to the Anti-Corruption Commission, for which we are the lead donor. We are also funding the NGO Panos Paris to build capacity in the media sector in close co-operation with the High Media Authority.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what monitoring of the upholding of human rights in the conflict zones of the Congo is undertaken by United Kingdom representatives; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: We monitor closely the human rights situation throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This is achieved through our Embassies in the region and through discussions with the DRC's National Human Rights Observatory, Non-Governmental Organisations, the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) and other UN bodies.

Robert Ellis

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations on behalf of Mr. Robert Ellis were made by the Minister of State when he visited Turkey this month.

Denis MacShane: The case of Mr. Robert Ellis was discussed during my meeting with the Head of the Turkish European Secretariat General (equivalent to the European Secretariat) in Ankara on 13 January. As the right hon. Member is already aware from my letter to him of 7 January 2004, the Ambassador and his staff have made vigorous efforts on behalf of Mr. Ellis during the last six years.

Departmental Relocation

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the benefits of re-location of staff to North Staffordshire; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of proposals to relocate Government jobs on the Department's ability to meet (a) departmental policy objectives and (b) departmental public service agreements;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the effect of possible relocation of staff in his Department to North Staffordshire on (a) job creation, (b) sustainable development, (c) the local economy and (d) tackling regional economic disparities; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what plans he has to establish procedures for assessing the impact of possible re-location of staff in his Department to the regions; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury gave on 12 January 2003, Official Report, column 516W.

Departmental Relocation

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department work in (a) the West Midlands and (b) North Staffordshire.

Jack Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office do not employ staff in the West Midlands or North Staffordshire. UKTI (jointly responsible to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and me) fund the delivery of services through a Regional UKTI Team and staff employed by the Business Link/Chamber network in the region.
	In the West Midlands the total number of staff working on the UKTI agenda is 41 of which 19 are civil servants (employed by the Government Office on UKTIs behalf). The Staffordshire UKTI Team consists of eight (two civil servants) and of these five are based in North Staffordshire (one civil servant).

Entry Clearance

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many entry clearance applications were (a) made and (b) refused worldwide in each of the last six years.

Chris Mullin: The following table shows the number of entry clearance applications received and refused worldwide during each year from 1998. Since 2001, statistics have been collated by financial year (1 April to 31 March) rather than calendar year.
	
		
			 Year Received Refused 
		
		
			 1998 1,462,599 85,041 
			 1999 1,514,764 100,616 
			 2000 1,674,110 117,142 
			 FY 2001–2002 1,750,459 176,217 
			 FY 2002–2003 1,941,910 249,830

Entry Clearance

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many entry clearance applications were (a) received and (b) refused in (i) India, (ii) Pakistan, (iii) China, (iv) Nigeria, (v) Ghana, (vi) Russia, (vii) Poland, (viii) Ukraine, (ix) Zimbabwe and (x) the Philippines in each of the last six years.

Chris Mullin: The following table shows the numbers of entry clearance applications received in the countries specified during each year from 1998. Since 2001, statistics have been collated by financial year (1 April to 31 March) rather than by calendar year.
	
		
			 Country 1998 1999 2000 FY 2001–02 FY 2002–03 
		
		
			 India 159,689 175,664 186,725 210,049 236,431 
			 Pakistan 77,150 81,102 96,796 111,959 74,043 
			 China 39,492 47,841 69,090 94,331 116,620 
			 Nigeria 55,616 72,101 83,725 108,448 144,245 
			 Ghana 22,901 28,308 34,144 46,425 65,684 
			 Russia 77,323 56,736 65,544 68,956 73,971 
			 Poland 1,409 1,568 1,509 1,710 2,189 
			 Ukraine 23,727 22,693 26,145 23,712 24,734 
			 Zimbabwe 1,955 1,900 2,960 3,272 14,377 
			 Philippines 17,868 19,868 25,868 28,290 30,484 
		
	
	The following table shows the numbers of entry clearance applications refused in the countries specified during each year from 1998.
	
		
			 Country 1998 1999 2000 FY 2001–02 FY 2002–03 
		
		
			 India 14,261 18,187 20,622 24,136 39,642 
			 Pakistan 10,493 15,214 15,989 32,324 10,173 
			 China 2,602 3,727 6,363 10,399 14,210 
			 Nigeria 10,073 10,044 12,139 16,711 33,221 
			 Ghana 5,078 5,355 7,783 21,016 33,985 
			 Russia 2,105 1,248 1,421 2,552 2,331 
			 Poland 116 115 213 109 178 
			 Ukraine 2,580 2,843 3,121 3,794 3,862 
			 Zimbabwe 254 222 444 555 4,240 
			 Philippines 1,584 1,274 1,161 1,761 4,074 
		
	
	The significant increase in figures for received and refused applications in Zimbabwe during the financial year 2002–2003 is the result of the implementation of the Visa regime in Zimbabwe on 8 November 2002 coupled with the increased demand for visas because of the unstable political situation in Zimbabwe during this period.

Ethiopia/Eritrea

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what involvement the Government's representative had in promoting acceptance of the Boundary Commission Report on the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: I, together with our Ambassadors in Addis Ababa and Asmara, take every opportunity to emphasise to both parties that the Boundary Commission's decision is final and binding; that both should avoid any return to war; and that dialogue is essential to address all the issues separating Ethiopia and Eritrea. I visited Eritrea and Ethiopia between 13 and 19 January during which time I had extensive discussions on the border with a range of interested parties including President Isaias of Eritrea and Prime Minister Meles of Ethiopia.

Ghana

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that Ghana adheres to international standards on human rights.

Chris Mullin: Ghana generally performs well on human rights issues. We welcome the fact that Ghana has signed up to and ratified the six major UN treaties on human rights. Ghana also volunteered to be one of the first countries to participate in the African Peer Review Mechanism (a voluntary process to monitor and raise governance standards in Africa).
	We regularly meet with the Government of Ghana to discuss a range of governance issues and raise concerns on human rights in this context. We regularly lobby the Ghanaians on the removal of the death penalty from their statute book.

Lockerbie

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government will seek to recoup any of the costs incurred in (a) investigations into the Lockerbie bombing and (b) holding the (i) trial and (ii) appeal by the accused; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: There are arrangements in place for the US Government to contribute to the overall costs of the Lockerbie trial and appeal. There is no power in Scottish criminal procedure to make awards of expenses against the accused.

Lockerbie

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost to the UK taxpayer was of the (a) investigations into the Lockerbie bombing, (b) trial of those accused of the bombing and (c) appeal by the accused.

Bill Rammell: Responsibility for the accounting of all costs of the Lockerbie trial and its aftermath is a matter for the Scottish Executive. They calculate that the total costs of holding the trial in the Netherlands, including pre-trial and appeal costs, amounted to £75.8 million.

Middle East

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress in the implementation of the Middle East roadmap proposals.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 19 January 2004
	Despite the welcome undertakings made at the Aqaba Summit, there has been a disappointing lack of progress on the roadmap's Phase One requirements. Israel has implemented neither the settlement freeze nor the dismantling of settlement outposts erected since March 2001. The Palestinian Authority has not begun sustained, targeted and effective operations against terrorists. Both sides should now simultaneously fulfil the obligations they have both accepted under Phase One of the roadmap.

Nigeria

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Nigerian Government concerning the burning down by Muslim extremists of churches and church-owned properties during November 2003 in the town of Kazaure, Jigawa state.

Chris Mullin: We are in close touch with the Nigerian authorities. We are concerned about the violence, which affected Muslims as well as Christians. The Jigawa State Government has said that it will take strong measures against the wrong-doers. Officials from the British High Commission in Abuja take every opportunity to emphasise to the States Governors that all criminal acts, including violence, should be dealt with by proper authorities through the courts.
	The UK believes that establishing dialogue between Christians and Muslims at all levels is the best way to create understanding and mutual tolerance. We support the work of Coventry Cathedral's Centre for Peace and Reconciliation in Kaduna and are looking to expand this work to other States in Nigeria.

Overseas Visitors

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people entered the UK from (a) Russia and (b) China in the latest year for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The latest available information is given in the table.
	
		Passengers given leave to enter the United Kingdom under all categories, by nationality, 2002
		
			  Number of journeys— all categories 
		
		
			 Russia 167,000 
			 People's Republic of China 228,000 
		
	
	The figures in this table have been rounded to three significant digits.
	Data on passengers given leave to enter the United Kingdom are published in the Command Paper 'Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2002' (Cm6053), obtainable from the Library, The Stationery Office and via the Home Office website http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hobpubs1.html.

St. Helena/Tristan da Cunha

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) St. Helena and (b) Tristan da Cunha.

Bill Rammell: The Government are working hard to help the people of St. Helena. A range of issues is under consideration at the present time with air access, a new constitution, improved sea access, exports of wild honey and student fees among them. Many of these issues require co-ordination across Government departments, which is currently under way. It is our intention and has been our practice to ensure that the Government of St. Helena gets the best possible advice from the relevant experts, funded in the main by the Department for International Development. The next major visit to the island by DfID/FCO officials will be in April/May when budgetary talks are due to take place.
	The smaller territory of Tristan da Cunha reports its activities on a periodic basis to its Governor, based in St. Helena. Largely self-sufficient through its fishing and related export activities, it receives a small amount of funding each year from the Department of International Development. It is constantly on the lookout for new ways of raising revenue so that it can become more financially independent and start to build its reserves. Tristan Islanders are working with EU officials to gain a licence that would enable them to export crayfish caught in their waters for sale in the EU.

Visa Charges

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to introduce visa charges for US citizens who wish to visit the United Kingdom.

Chris Mullin: US citizens do not require a visa to visit the United Kingdom and therefore no visa charges will be introduced.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with her European Union counterparts on the proposed location of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Ministers and officials have taken part in various discussions with other members of the European Union on the proposed location for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. I attended the 11 November 2003 Competitiveness Council discussion on the European candidate site and expressed the UK's support for the European bid.

Broadband

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the roll out of broadband in Lancashire.

Stephen Timms: Under the Department's £30 million broadband fund, the North West Development Agency (NWDA) is launching three pilot demonstrator projects in Lancashire, which will focus on encouraging access and take up of ICT over broadband. The NWDA is in the final stages of procurement for Project ACCESS, which will enable provision of affordable broadband access in Cumbria and that part of Lancashire north of the Lancaster district boundary. The NWDA has also supported the formation of the Lancashire Digital Development Agency (LDDA), a grouping of public, private and voluntary sector partners who take the responsibility for promoting the delivery of an advanced broadband infrastructure and to maximise its take up. (Source: www.nwda.co.uk).
	Under the Department's Broadband Aggregation Project (BAP), the North West Regional Aggregation Body (NW-RAB), has been incorporated to aggregate and procure public sector demand for broadband connectivity. The NW-RAB is working with stakeholders in the region to develop a strategy that will offer best value for money and the widest availability of broadband to surrounding communities.

Broadband

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the county of Durham has broadband coverage; and what action she intends to take to encourage greater coverage.

Stephen Timms: The data for the percentage of broadband coverage in the county of Durham are not available within Government.
	The regional development agency, One NorthEast, in partnership with Durham county council and the local district councils, is driving forward a major £5.1 million project (DurhamNet) to provide a broadband network across the county, via high speed radio technology. Stage one of the project aims to provide broadband access to business, education and community facilities. This work is well under way, with broadband provision to the county's public libraries already in place. The county council is now leading a regional initiative to ensure that all telephone exchanges in the north-east are upgraded to deliver broadband to the region. (source: www.durham. gov.uk/).
	The North East Regional Aggregation Body has been incorporated to aggregate and procure public sector demand for broadband connectivity. It is working with stakeholders in the region to develop a strategy that will offer best value for money and the widest availability of broadband to surrounding communities.

Business Link

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of business link organisations; and what plans she has to change these schemes.

Nigel Griffiths: Overall, Business Link Operators have been successfully delivering business support within their local areas to increasing numbers of small businesses, while at the same time seeing their levels of customer satisfaction continue to rise.
	Last year Business Link Operators helped over 300,000 firms and individuals, an increase from 150,000 in 2002, and exceeded their key performance indicators. Market penetration increased from 14 per cent. to 17 per cent. in 2001–02, customer satisfaction with BLO services increased to 84 per cent. from 81 per cent. the previous year and brand awareness increased 9 per cent. to 74 per cent. Results for the current year are also showing a further increase in performance levels. By the end of quarter 2 2003–04, 88,000 more businesses had been assisted than the same time last year; the business penetration rate of 18.5 per cent. was already exceeding last year's performance; and the provisional average customer satisfaction rate of 85.4 per cent. shows a 1 per cent. increase on the last six months and a 3.2 per cent. increase on the same period last year.
	The Small Business Service is now engaged in a review of the Business Link business and brand with the aim of building on the brand as the recognised gateway through which small businesses can access appropriate sources of help or support and so will have an impact on the way BLOs operate. The review should conclude during 2004–05 and the principal outcomes be implemented by April 2005.

Business Link

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what effect Business Link has had on (a) the overall productivity of UK businesses, (b) reducing disparities in regional productivity, (c) the overall profitability of UK businesses, (d) UK business investment and (e) levels of private sector employment in the UK.

Nigel Griffiths: The Small Business Service has introduced from this year a Gross Value Added measure as part of its Performance Management Framework for Business Link. This enables operators to quantify the impact they have had on businesses with which they have formed a more intensive relationship, in terms of wealth creation and productivity improvement.
	The most recent evaluation of Business Link did not explore the impact on productivity. However, it did conclude that Business Link provided good value for money in terms of the additional jobs, turnover, profits, assets and exports created at the national, regional and local level. The report on the evaluation, which was carried out by independent consultants Public and Corporate Economic Consultants (PACEC), is available on the DTI website (www.dti.gov.uk/about/evaluation).

Business Link

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what procedures are in place to ensure the accountability of business link organisations.

Nigel Griffiths: The procedures in place are as follows:
	Each year the Small Business Service (SBS) agrees an annual Delivery Plan (DP) with each Business Link Operator (BLO). The Plans are in a common format and include a set of Key Performance Indicators against which targets are agreed between the respective BLO and the SBS.
	Each BLO's performance against these targets is monitored by SBS Regional Teams, or by the Regional Development Agency in the East Midlands and North West. BLOs are subject to a Quarterly Performance Review that assesses their performance against the set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Three of the KPIs, Customer Satisfaction, Market Penetration and Number of Intensive Assisted Users, are subject to contractually binding Minimum Performance Levels. BLOs provide performance data on a quarterly basis as part of the SBS Management Information Requirement.
	BLOs provide detailed Financial Information at the end of each quarter, which is monitored by the SBS. On an annual basis BLOs are subject to an independent audit of their finances and management information systems by an auditor appointed by the SBS to ensure its funding has been spent on the purposes for which it was given.
	All BLOs are subject to UK company law.

Business Link

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff have been employed by each business link organisation in each year since their formation; and if she will break the figures down by salary band.

Nigel Griffiths: Business Link Operators are autonomous independent companies and the Small Business Service does not collect information about their staffing numbers or rates of pay.

Business Link

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria are used to measure the (a) success and (b) effectiveness of business link organisations.

Nigel Griffiths: The Small Business Service (SBS) has developed a core set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success and effectiveness of Business Link Operators (BLOs). These indicators are contained in a Performance Management Framework and reflect the performance, value and contribution to the economy made by BLOs.
	The indicators are:
	awareness of Business Link (prompted and unprompted);
	understanding of Business Link services;
	use of Business Link branded services (by both businesses and individuals);
	financial efficiency (of BLOs);
	customer satisfaction;
	intensive assisted users of BL branded services;
	perceived business benefit; and
	changes in Gross Value Added (GVA) of BL customers.
	SBS negotiates a delivery plan each year with each BLO individually. The plan includes targets for each KPI that reflect the needs and constitution of each specific BLO area. SBS then subsequently monitors each BLO's performance against their respective targets on a quarterly basis with view to taking appropriate action to address specific or general shortcomings.

Business Link

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley have used Business Link in each of the last three years.

Nigel Griffiths: The answer to the question is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  2001–02 2002–03 April-September 2003 
		
		
			  Business Link Operator usage-business customers, in-year cumulative 
			 East Lancashire 2,973 3,187 2,403 
			 North and west Lancashire 3,156 6,435 5,996 
			 Lancashire total 6,129 9,622 8,399 
			 
			  Business Link Operator usage-pre-starts, quarterly trend 
			 East Lancashire 1,825 2,534 1,642 
			 North and west Lancashire 750 2,865 1,390 
			 Lancashire total 2,575 5,399 3,032

Employment Statistics

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what the (a) actual and (b) percentage change in private sector employment was in each month since 1997;
	(2)  how many people have been employed in (a) the public and (b) the private sector in each quarter over the last ten years.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 20 January 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about jobs in the public and private sectors. (146143, 148188)
	Job levels for the private and public sectors are obtained from administrative returns from public bodies and the Labour Force Survey, and are available only on an annual basis. The attached table shows the number of UK jobs in the public and private sectors for each of the ten years from 1993 to 2002, the latest year for which data are available. The table also shows the actual and percentage annual changes.
	
		Numbers of public and private sector jobs in the UK, 1993–2002 -- Thousands
		
			  Number of jobs Annual change Annual percentage change 
			  Public Private Public Private Public Private 
		
		
			 1993 5,477 20,791 — — — — 
			 1994 5,292 21,229 -185 438 -3.4 2.7 
			 1995 5,211 21,995 -81 766 -1.5 3.6 
			 1996 5,069 22,307 -142 312 -2.7 1.4 
			 1997 4,954 22,811 -115 504 -2.3 2.3 
			 1998 4,944 23,083 -10 272 -0.2 1.2 
			 1999 5,094 23,272 150 189 3.0 0.8 
			 2000 5,094 23,537 0 265 0.0 1.1 
			 2001 5,212 23,521 118 -16 2.3 -0.1 
			 2002 5,298 23,610 86 89 1.7 0.4 
		
	
	Source:
	Labour Force Survey and administrative returns from public bodies

Employment Statistics

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people were in (a) public and (b) private sector employment, broken down by (i) salary and (ii) employment type for each of the last ten years.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 20 January 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about jobs in the public and private sectors. (148187)
	The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides information on earnings and employment type by sector. However, these figures are based on respondents' own perception of the sector in which they work, and may not correspond to the official classifications of the public and private sector.
	Table 1 shows the average gross weekly earnings of full-time employees in the UK, split by sector. Table 2 shows the proportions of full-time and part-time employees in both the public and private sectors. In both cases, data are for twelve month periods ending in November in the years 1994–2003.
	Information on the number of jobs in the public and private sectors in each year from 1993–2002 has been provided in an answer to another recent Parliamentary Question that you have asked (148188). However, please note that this information is provided for calendar years and is derived from other sources besides the LFS. It is therefore not consistent with the information on earnings and employment type given in this answer.
	
		Table 1: Average gross weekly earnings of full-time employees in the UK -- £
		
			 Year(10) Public Sector Private Sector 
		
		
			 1994 328 291 
			 1995 332 303 
			 1996 346 315 
			 1997 355 329 
			 1998 367 345 
			 1999 383 363 
			 2000 396 382 
			 2001 414 403 
			 2002 431 417 
			 2003 448 431 
		
	
	(10) 12 month period ending in November of given year
	Source:
	Labour Force Survey
	
		Table 2: Percentage of UK public and private sector jobs that are full and part time -- Percentage of total employment
		
			  Private Sector Public Sector 
			 Year(11) Full Time Part Time Full Time Part Time 
		
		
			 1994 78 22 73 27 
			 1995 78 22 72 28 
			 1996 77 23 71 29 
			 1997 77 23 70 30 
			 1998 77 23 70 30 
			 1999 77 23 71 29 
			 2000 77 23 70 30 
			 2001 77 23 70 30 
			 2002 77 23 70 30 
			 2003 76 24 70 30 
		
	
	(11) 12 month period ending in November of given year
	Source:
	Labour Force Survey

Energy Bill

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Energy Bill has been notified to the European Commission.

Stephen Timms: The Energy Bill is a public document. There is no requirement to notify the Energy Bill as such to the European Commission. In accordance with Article 88(3) of the European Treaty establishing the European Community, the Government notified to the Commission on 19 December 2003 the state aid that would be involved in the funding of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) under the Bill.
	Chapter 2 of Part 3 of the Energy Bill will implement Directives 2003/54/EC and 2003/55/EC and we shall be notifying the commission when the relevant clauses come into force.
	We shall consider whether we need to notify to the commission of the changes arising from the introduction of the Renewable Obligation in Northern Ireland, planned for 1 April 2005.

Management Consultants

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost to her Department of using management consultants has been in each of the last five years.

Patricia Hewitt: Central records indicate that contracts for management consultants amounted to the following:
	
		£ million
		
			 Financial year Management consultant contracts 
		
		
			 1999–2000 21  
			 2000–01 36  
			 2001–02 64  
			 2002–03 42  
		
	
	The higher figure for 2001–02 includes £25 million for Consignia/Post Office in connection with the Government General Practitioner/Your Guide pilot.
	Data for 1998–99 are not readily available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Miners' Compensation

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the 10 firms of solicitors who have received the most in fees for dealing with miners' compensation claims; and how much each has received.

Nigel Griffiths: As of 7 January 2004 the figures are:
	
		£ million
		
			 Top 10 solicitors Total solicitors costs 
		
		
			 Hugh James Ford Simey 35.8 
			 Thompsons Solicitors 34.6 
			 Raleys Solicitors 23.7 
			 Browell Smith and Co 13.6 
			 Mark Gilbert Morse 10.3 
			 Graysons Solicitors 8.7 
			 Union of Democratic Mineworkers 8.0 
			 Watson Burton Solicitors 7.6 
			 Towells Solicitors 7.6 
			 Beresfords Solicitors 6.3

Miners' Compensation

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what amounts were paid to (a) firms of solicitors and (b) the Union of Democratic Mineworkers for cases undertaken under the miners' compensation schemes in 2003.

Nigel Griffiths: The figures are as follows:
	
		£ million
		
			  COPD VWF 
		
		
			 Solicitors cost 119.6 18.0 
			 UDM 3.9 0.9 
			 Total 123.5 18.9

Miners' Compensation

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which trade unions have applied to pursue claims directly under the miners' compensation schemes; and what the reasons were for (a) granting and (b) rejecting such an application in each case.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 15 January 2004
	The Department has signed agreements with those bodies appointed by or on behalf of claimants to act for them. In May 1998, my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle) the then Minister for Energy, invited the mining unions to contribute to these arrangements through their solicitors.
	The UDM were themselves dealing with claims and a Claims Handling Agreement was signed with them. The compensation terms were identical to the agreement with the miners' solicitors.
	The NUM inquired about having a direct agreement. This was not pursued beyond initial discussions.

Miners' Compensation

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms of solicitors are handling coal health claims in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland; and how many are involved with the Claimants Solicitors Group.

Nigel Griffiths: To date the figures are:
	
		
			  CSG solicitors Non-CSG solicitors Total number 
		
		
			 England 353 200 553 
			 Scotland 24 41 65 
			 Wales 56 40 96 
			 Total 433 281 714

Miners' Compensation

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many training days the insurers handling the coal health claims have held for solicitors to date; and how many firms have attended.

Nigel Griffiths: As of 13 January the figures are:
	
		
			 Training Number of days Number of firms attending 
		
		
			 Planning days 2 32 
			 Regional workshops 5 69 
			 Solicitors training day, Sheffield Office 2 41 
			 Solicitors Training Day, Edinburgh Office 1 8 
			 Solicitors Training Day, Cardiff Office 1 6 
			 Informal in house operational training 17 10

Miners' Compensation

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money has been paid to date by the Department to (a) the insurers handling the coal health claims and (b) the company carrying out the medical assessments.

Nigel Griffiths: As of mid January 2004 nearly £158 million has been paid to IRISC, the Department's claim handlers and nearly £212 million to the companies who provide the medical assessments.

Regional Productivity

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the rate of productivity growth was in each region of the UK in each of the last five years.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 20 January 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on the productivity of UK companies. (146131)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not currently produce estimates of productivity growth by region. Current regional productivity measures estimate the relative performance of regions at a point in time.
	We do, however, produce figures on Regional output per hour worked and Regional output per filled job for 1996–2001. These figures can be accessed from the ONS website at: http://www. statistics.gov.uk/statbase/tsdataset.asp?vlnk=4858&More=Y and http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/tsdataset.asp?vlnk= 4860&More=Y

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons her Department does not include printer cartridges in the implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Stephen Timms: The Government have always considered printer cartridges as consumables and this interpretation has been confirmed by the Department's lawyers. The WEEE Directive only applies to whole products placed on the market and not to individual components, sub-assemblies or consumables.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Pensions

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of abolishing the rule on freezing state pensions for those citizens entitled to state pensions who reside in countries for which the United Kingdom has an aid programme; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many individuals in each country for which Her Majesty's Government has an aid programme who are entitled to a United Kingdom state pension have them frozen; and if he will make a statement on his policy on frozen pensions.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on the number of individuals in each country for which this Government has an aid programme who receive a frozen UK State Pension is not available.
	However, there were 60,000 recipients of a frozen UK State Pension in the twenty countries receiving the largest amount of UK bilateral aid in 2002–03. The cost of now paying those frozen pensions, using the April 2004 rates, would be around £40 million, with ongoing costs of £40million per annum and rising in future years.
	The UK State Pension is uprated in countries with which the UK has a reciprocal social security agreement or where there is a legal requirement to do so. The Government are focusing their resources on helping poorer pensioners in the UK and have no plans to unfreeze UK State Pensions paid overseas.
	Notes: (1) Caseloads have been produced using the DWP Pensions administrative dataset for March 2003. (2) The nominal costs are calculated using 2004 pension rates, and deflated to 2003–04 price terms.

Pensions

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average increase in income has been for pensioners in Warrington, North since the introduction of the minimum income guarantee.

Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is not available.
	The average income support award to pensioners in Warrington, North was £37.36 in August 1998, when 2,200 pensioner households were receiving income support. Under Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG), which was introduced in April 1999, there were 2,800 pensioner households in Warrington, North receiving an average of £44.29 a week in MIG in August 2003.
	In December 2003 there were 3,426 pensioner households receiving an average of £41.19 a week Pension Credit in Warrington, North.
	Following the introduction of Pension Credit in October 2003, some elements of the support previously provided through MIG are now provided through local authority funding for people in care homes, and through tax credits for children. In addition, average Pension Credit awards are expected to be lower than MIG because a savings credit of up to £14.79 (single) or £19.20 (couples) is available for people with modest incomes above the guarantee level who previously received nothing from MIG.
	As at 31 December, the average level of weekly gain shared by the 1.44 million households now receiving more money as a result of Pension Credit introduction is £10.80.
	Notes:
	1. MIG caseload figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and are expressed in thousands, weekly amounts to the nearest penny.
	2. MIG figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many properties were inspected by the Health and Safety Executive in connection with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in the last 12 months; what steps his Department has taken to promote awareness of the problem; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: For the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003, the latest period for which we have a full year's figure, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated 86 carbon monoxide (CO) incidents. This figure is provisional.
	Measures being taken to promote awareness of carbon monoxide poisoning include the annual winter gas safety awareness campaign overseen by HSE, which this year is targeting students and other first-time renters, elderly people and parents of young children.
	HSE's gas safety website contains information on the causes and symptoms of CO, and what to do if poisoning is suspected. This website is currently being upgraded to provide links to other relevant organizations, and access to videos giving detailed information on carbon monoxide poisoning and personal statements from sufferers.
	HSE produces free leaflets on gas safety both for general consumers and landlords, including information on carbon monoxide, in twelve community languages as well as English. These are also available on the HSE website.
	HSE also operates a Gas Safety Advice line providing free advice to callers. Additionally, where possible, HSE officials actively participate in awareness-raising events run by other organizations such as local community groups when called upon to do so.
	During 2003, HSE's gas publicity Working Group examined the feasibility of a carbon monoxide awareness campaign to be voluntarily funded by the gas industry. In September HSE hosted a meeting seeking support for this initiative from the six main gas supply companies. The industry players have committed to produce an agreed strategy plan, which should be implemented this year. The level of funding, although not yet finalized, will be in the region of £3 million a year for a period of seven years to be evaluated after three years.

Electronic Data Systems

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions the Department has made compensation payments to Electronic Data Systems as a result of contractual changes to the Child Support Agency Reforms information technology project; and what the value was of each of those payments.

Chris Pond: The Department has not made any compensation payments to EDS. As announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 27 January 2003, Official Report, columns 564–68, the Department has previously agreed an increase of around 7 per cent. in the value of the original contract, over its term. This increase reflected that the IT system had proved to be more complex than had been thought at the outset, something not uncommon in large scale IT systems.

Departmental Policies(Regent's Park and Kensington, North)

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the impact of his Department's policies in Regent's Park and Kensington, North constituency since 1997.

Des Browne: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001; since then, we have undertaken a fundamental overhaul of the welfare system, transforming it from a passive organisation paying out benefits to an active system that fights poverty, creates opportunity and helps people become self-sufficient and independent.
	We are making a significant contribution to the Government's objective of eradicating child poverty in 20 years and halving it within 10, and there are now half a million fewer children in relative low income than there were in 1997. Child Benefit is now worth £16.05 a week for the eldest child, compared to only £11.40 in 1997, benefiting 13,385 families in Regent's Park and Kensington, North.
	Through Jobcentre Plus, we are promoting work as the best form of welfare for people of working age. The number of people in work is at historically high levels of over 28.15 million; in Regent's Park and Kensington, North, the proportion in employment has risen to 62.3 per cent. Our New Deals have helped lone parents, the young unemployed, the long-term unemployed, disabled people, the over 50s and partners of the unemployed to move from benefit into work. Nationally over 950,000 people have been helped into work by the New Deals, and over 2,200 have been helped into work in Regent's Park and Kensington, North.
	We want all pensioners to have a decent and secure income in retirement and to share fairly in the rising prosperity of the country, and our first priority has been to help the poorest pensioners. The Government will be spending an extra £9.2bn in 2004/5 (in 2003–04 prices) on pensioners as a result of measures introduced since 1997, including around 4.3 billion on the poorest third of pensioners. Our reforms include the State Second Pension, which helps more of tomorrow's pensioners build up better pensions.
	Pension Credit, introduced from October 2003, provides a contribution to a guaranteed minimum income for those aged 60 and over and, for the first time, those over aged 65 and over may be rewarded for modest savings and income. Around 5,900 pensioner households in Regent's Park and Kensington, North are already benefiting from Pension Credit, with an average award of £70.33 per week.
	Our reforms include the State Second Pension, which helps more of tomorrow's pensioners build up better pensions. Pension Credit, introduced from October 2003, provides a contribution to a guaranteed minimum income for those aged 60 and over and, for the first time, those over aged 65 and over may be rewarded for modest savings and income. Around 5,900 pensioner households in Regent's Park and Kensington, North are already benefiting from Pension Credit, with an average award of £70.33 per week.
	We know that older people are disproportionately affected by fuel poverty, and this winter (2003–04) we have made available a Winter Fuel Payment of £200 for each eligible household to help with their fuel bills. In addition, the introduction of the 80+Annual Payment gives an extra £100 to households where there is someone aged 80 or over. We estimate that around 17,000 older people in Regent's Park and Kensington, North have received a payment this winter.
	Some 14,000 pensioners in Regent's Park and Kensington, North benefited from the above inflation increase in the rate of basic state pension from April 2003. Those over 75, of whom we estimate there are about 6,300 in Regent's Park and Kensington, North may also qualify for free TV licences.

Industrial Injury Disablement Benefit

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions why there is a separate form for declaring an industrial injury from that for claiming industrial injury disablement benefit.

Des Browne: Different information is required for a declaration of an industrial injury than for a claim for Industrial Injury Disablement Benefit (IIDB). For example, in the case of a claim for IIDB, information is required as to whether other benefits are in payment; in the case of a declaration, an injured employee may not wish to claim benefit, and therefore information is required only to establish whether an incident can be accepted as an industrial accident.

Jobcentre Plus

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time workers were employed by Jobcentre Plus in Cambridgeshire in each of the last three years.

Des Browne: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Jonathan Djanogly, dated 20 January 2004
	As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the number of full time staff working for Jobcentre Plus in Cambridgeshire over the last three years. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
	I am only able to give you staffing figures from April 2002 as this was when Jobcentre Plus was launched.
	As you will understand staffing during the year fluctuates for business reasons. Since April 2002 the number of full time staff has ranged from 374 to 433 with the total staffing levels ranging from 474 to 560 full time equivalents. Currently we have 433 full time staff working in Cambridgeshire, with 166 part-time staff. This equates to a total full time equivalent of 543 staff.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the arrangements for ensuring the quality and relevance of mandatory work-focused courses for jobseeker's allowance claimants.

Des Browne: Mandatory work-focused training for jobseeker's allowance claimants is purchased through regionally based Jobcentre Plus contracting teams, in consultation with district partners. Provision is delivered through private and not for profit providers and, during development, consideration is given to the recruitment needs of local employers and the training requirements of JSA claimants.
	Providers are subject to thorough contractual and quality audits. Individual contract reviews are conducted by Jobcentre Plus field contracts managers and district programme quality management teams. Reviews assess the administration, delivery, quality and propriety of the provisions being delivered against the requirements set out in providers' contracts.
	In addition, the Adult Learning Inspectorate in England and ESTYN in Wales, play a pivotal role in the quality assurance of provision, under the provisions of the Learning and Skills Act 2000. All inspection under the provisions of the Act is carried out in accordance with the Common Inspection Framework. The framework focuses on the learner, and on evaluating the effectiveness of education and training in meeting all learners' needs.

Minimum Income Guarantee

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average change in income has been for pensioners in Chorley since the introduction of the minimum income guarantee.

Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is not available.
	The average income support award to pensioners in Chorley was £52.45 in August 1998, when 2,500 pensioner households were receiving income support. Under Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG), which was introduced in April 1999, there were 2,700 pensioner households in Chorley receiving an average of £49.47 a week in MIG in August 2003.
	In December 2003 there were 3,064 pensioner households receiving an average of £40.08 a week Pension Credit in Chorley.
	Following the introduction of Pension Credit in October 2003, some elements of the support previously provided through MIG are now provided through local authority funding for people in care homes, and through tax credits for children. In addition, average Pension Credit awards are expected to be lower than MIG because a savings credit of up to £14.79 (single) or £19.20 (couples) is available for people with modest incomes above the guarantee level who previously received nothing from MIG.
	As at 31 December, the average level of weekly gain shared by the 1.44 million households now receiving more money as a result of Pension Credit introduction is £10.80.
	Notes:
	1. MIG caseload figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and are expressed in thousands, weekly amounts to the nearest penny.
	2. MIG figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.

Pension Credit

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Chorley have (a) applied for and (b) received pension credit; and what the average consequent change in income per pensioner is.

Malcolm Wicks: At 31 December 2003 there were 3,064 pensioner households (3,659 individuals) in the Chorley constituency receiving Pension Credit. Information on the number of Pension Credit applications in individual constituencies is not available. The average weekly rate of Pension Credit awards in Chorley is £40.08. Information on the average amount gained by pensioners in individual constituencies, since the introduction of Pension Credit, will become available following publication of the November 2003 Quarterly Statistical Enquiry on 17 March 2004.

Pension Credit

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total amount spent on pension credit in Warrington, North constituency has been since its introduction.

Malcolm Wicks: The latest departmental information suggests that between 1 October 2003 and 30 November 2003 an estimated £1.2 million was spent on pension credit in Warrington, North.
	Notes:
	1. Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003, therefore this figure includes five days of expenditure on the minimum income guarantee (the benefit pension credit replaces).
	2. This figure is based on total expenditure on pension credit in Great Britain (GB) from the departmental Programme Accounting Computer System (PACS) data. The constituency level expenditure is estimated using 100 per cent. Generalised Matching Service (GMS) data.
	3. This estimate has been rounded to the nearest £100,000.

Direct Payment

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date pensions were credited to the Post Office card accounts of pensioners who would normally have collected their pensions on 29 December 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: The Department arranged that where customers were due payments on 29 December 2003, the customers would have pensions credited to Post Office card accounts on 24 December 2003.

Pensions Bill

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to publish the Pensions Bill announced in the Queen's Speech.

Malcolm Wicks: The Pensions Bill announced in the Queen's Speech will be published as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Regulations (Consultation)

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of regulations introduced by the Department have been subject to a consultation period of less than 12 weeks since the introduction of the Code of Practice on Consultations.

Des Browne: The Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultation came into effect on 1 January 2001. The Department for Work and Pensions came into being in June 2001. In the period 1 June 2001 to 31 December 2002, DWP has published 22 consultations under the code, of which three were less than 12 weeks. 11 consultations have led to regulation. Four others have informed the Green Paper "Simplicity, security and choice—working and saving for retirement" from which further regulatory activity is under consideration.
	The Health and Safety Executive has been sponsored by DWP since 24 July 2002. Up until 31 December 2003 there have been 13 consultations of which four are still open; all but one meeting the 12-week timescale. The one consultation that did not meet the 12-week minimum did not pertain to regulations. Information on which consultations lead to regulation is not held in a separate register but is kept on the consultations page on the HSE website.

Winter Fuel Payments

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what forums he is advertising the availability of winter fuel payments.

Malcolm Wicks: In order to promote the availability of winter fuel payments a series of advertisements were placed in national and regional press and consumer magazines, a variety of promotional products were also made available to support the campaign. The following items were produced:
	"Your Guide to Winter Fuel Payments 2003"—An A5 leaflet available in English, Welsh, Braille, Audiocassette and Large Print. This leaflet was translated into Punjabi, Chinese, Gujarati, Vietnamese, Somali, Arabic, Bengali and Urdu, electronic versions were made available via the Pension Service and DWP websites;
	A3 and A4 promotional posters displaying the 'Winter Fuel Payments are on their way' and 'Don't miss out' messages; and leaflet dispenser.
	Products were made widely available to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) staff, the media, advisers and the general public. Mailings were sent to over 30,000 relevant advisory organisations such as welfare rights groups and libraries; Citizens Advice; Age Concern; National Pensioners Convention; and the Local Government Association.
	Leaflets and posters were displayed in: post office branches; doctors surgeries; Gala Bingo branches; Co-op/Alldays stores; Lloyds Pharmacy; the Pension Service (pension credit) truck; and Paypoint and Payzone outlets.
	Copies of the leaflet were distributed direct to customer groups by: Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS), meals on wheels scheme; St. Vincent de Paul Society; Powergen Warm Front and Stay Warm advisers.
	Promotional material was sent to the National Energy Action team to support Warm Homes week, which took place in November 2003.
	Leaflets and posters were sent as part of a DWP mailing targeted at care and residential homes throughout the UK in October 2003.
	Promotional products-were made available at a consumer event organised by Yours magazine.
	Leaflets were available to order via the Department of Health's Winter Warmth Advice Line.
	The Pension Service website (www.thepensionservice. gov.uk) was heavily utilised throughout the 2003–04 winter fuel payments campaign. Customers were signposted to the dedicated winter fuel payments section of the website through all promotional literature. Winter fuel leaflets were available for customers to download from the Pension Service resource centre.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture and Fisheries Council

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome was of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 17 to 18 December; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary and I represented the United Kingdom at a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on 17 December. The Scottish and Northern Irish Ministers responsible for Agriculture and Fisheries were also present.
	The Council agreed by qualified majority a Regulation providing for the total allowable catches for fish stocks for 2004. Important increases in quota for haddock and nephrops were agreed subject to special licensing and control conditions (those for nephrops to be developed by the end of next February). Annex V of the Regulation provides for limits on fishing time in 2004 for vessels which can catch cod, which operate in the North Sea and west of Scotland waters (as for 2003) and for the first time for vessels in the Irish Sea and the eastern English Channel. Annex VI introduces an effort management scheme for the North Sea sandeel fishery, for which the Regulation also sets significantly reduced quotas.
	The Council also agreed by qualified majority a long term recovery plan for cod stocks, setting a mechanism for deciding on multiannual catch limits, and providing for annual limits on fishing effort as in Annex V to the TAG Regulation. It explicitly enables the Council to adjust the mechanism for fishing effort during 2004 should it so wish. Finally the Council agreed the guide prices for fish species for 2004.
	The Council adopted by qualified majority the Presidency's compromise text for a regulation reinforcing the current requirements regarding identification of sheep and goats. I welcomed this proposal which met the main concerns we had registered during negotiation. The arrangements take account of the unique structure of our sheep sector; and, subject to approval by the Commission, our current national sheep and goat identification system of movement tags, backed up by the animal movement licensing system, will remain until 2008; followed thereafter by the introduction of electronic ID, which we support.
	The Council noted progress made in discussion of the proposal to update rules governing the welfare of animals during transport. The proposal was remitted for further official discussion, in particular as regards the establishment of maximum journey times.
	The Council took note without discussion of progress on a draft regulation harmonising official controls on food and feed. A number of issues, notably the scope of regulation and the charges to be made in connection with its enforcement, remain to be settled.
	The Council also took note of progress in discussion of a draft regulation setting maximum residue levels for pesticides.
	There was no discussion. The Council discussed the package of proposals to reform the CAP regimes for tobacco, olive oil, cotton and hops. We reiterated our support for the Commission in extending the principles of CAP reform to these sectors but argued for greater decoupling of subsidies to the olive oil and—particularly—cotton sectors. We expressed support for full decoupling in the tobacco sector, as the Commission has proposed, and called for the shortest possible transition period. Detailed negotiation of these proposals will resume under the Irish presidency.
	Under Other Business, the Italian Presidency tabled a written report outlining progress on specific hygiene rules in the animal feed sector. The Presidency also reported on progress in negotiation of a veterinary equivalence agreement with Russia. Austria pressed for early action to deal with low prices in the pigmeat sector; we and several other Member States cautioned against reliance on export refunds in this sector. We raised the problems caused for Pakistan by recent changes in the concessionary import terms applicable to Basmati rice. The Commission took note and reported that it was consulting with Pakistan and India over the latest information available on prices and varieties.

Angling

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with (a) British Waterways, (b) the British Disabled Angling Association and (c) the National Angling Association about the provision of greater access for disabled anglers under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 by 1 October.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government recognise the social and recreational importance of angling and are committed to improving access for the disabled. In response to the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Review Group report, the Government committed the Environment Agency to promoting angling.
	The Environment Agency works with a number of national and local bodies to provide angling opportunities for all. The Agency is working closely with the British Disabled Angling Association (BDAA) to integrate disability access into its work programme.
	The Agency has also encouraged the Joint Angling Governing Bodies (those organisations of the National Angling Association responsible for angling development and coaching) to work closely with the BDAA. To facilitate this co-operative work a Disability Working Group has been set up and is attended by all the main bodies involved in disabled angling and angling governance.
	The Agency also works with British Waterways on a number local initiatives. British Waterways aim to incorporate facilities for disabled anglers on its existing network and is committed to ensuring that all of its new angling facilities at reservoirs and other sources of closed waters are accessible for people with disabilities.

Animal Slaughter

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will announce the Government's policy in respect of the ritual and religious slaughter of animals.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 19 January 2004
	The religious slaughter of animals without prior stunning is permitted under both EU and domestic legislation.
	We are still considering our response to the recommendations in the Farm Animal Welfare Council's report on the welfare of red meat animals at slaughter, including the recommendation that slaughter without prior stunning should be banned in this country. We expect to issue our draft response document for public consultation within the next few weeks, but I am unable to provide an exact date at this stage. The public consultation exercise will be widely publicised. We anticipate issuing the Government's final response to the recommendations towards the middle of the year.

Animal Slaughter

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether there are humane methods licensed for the stunning and slaughter of animals and poultry which rely on gases to render animals unconscious prior to their slaughter.

Ben Bradshaw: The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995 (as amended) lay down the permitted stunning and killing methods for both red meat animals and poultry. The permitted methods have been assessed for humaneness. The use of gas mixtures is a permitted method for rendering pigs, domestic fowls and turkeys unconscious. The use of gas mixtures is actually a stun-kill method, in that the animal or bird has to remain in the gas until it is dead.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who owns the traps and other equipment used for badger trapping exercises carried out on behalf of the Department.

Ben Bradshaw: The traps and other equipment used in the Randomised Badger Culling Trial are owned by Defra.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the administrative boundaries of the Krebs proactive areas necessarily coincide with the areas inhabited by badgers.

Ben Bradshaw: The boundaries of treatment areas in which badger culling would take place were only prescribed once putative badger social group territories had been delineated. Any sett outside a trial area boundary which was associated with a social group of badgers whose territory fell within the trial area would be subject to the same treatment as the sett within the trial area (proactive or reactive culling) once allocated.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what tests have been carried out by the Department to determine whether healthy badgers have acquired or are likely to acquire infection after colonising setts left vacant as a result of clearance of TB infected badgers.

Ben Bradshaw: It is likely that the lack of light and relatively constant temperature and humidity inside a badger sett would favour the survival of Mycobacterium bovis (the causative organism of bovine tuberculosis). However, as there is currently no effective live test for TB in badgers, it would not be possible to tell if an incoming badger was healthy when colonising a vacant sett.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what controls are imposed on the relocation of badgers which are treated by animal hospitals and sanctuaries;
	(2)  what controls are imposed on the relocation of badgers removed from setts.

Ben Bradshaw: Badgers are a protected species and it is an offence to take (or attempt to take) a badger from the wild, including for the purpose of relocation elsewhere (Protection of Badgers Act 1992, s.1(1)). A person guilty of this offence is liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for up to six months and/or a fine of up to £5,000.
	There are certain exceptions to this offence, two of which are specifically relevant to the issue of relocating badgers. These are the treatment of injured or sick badgers, and relocations carried out under the authority of a licence.
	Under section 6, a person is not guilty of an offence by reason only of:
	"(a) taking or attempting to take a badger which has been disabled otherwise than by this act and is taken or to be taken solely for the purpose of tending it;"
	Like other native species, there are no specific restrictions under current law regulating where badgers are released once they have recovered from treatment. Once recovered, the badger will normally be returned to the location where it was originally found. This approach is recommended by Defra on welfare grounds due to their territorial nature, and also to avoid any risk of transmitting disease. However, there it is recognised that there are situations in which this course of action may not be feasible (particularly in the case of orphaned cubs).
	A voluntary code of practice (prepared by the RSPCA, National Federation of Badgers Groups and Secret World Wildlife Rescue) provides comprehensive guidance on rehabilitating and releasing badgers. This adopts a precautionary approach aimed at protecting the welfare of badgers and critically, minimising the risk of transmitting bovine tuberculosis (TB). The code is publicly available via the internet at: http://www. badger.org.uk/action/badger-rehabilitation-protocol- contents.html
	Under the code of practice, an adult badger is to be released at the exact location from which it was recovered. If this is not possible the code advises that the animal is euthanased. Badger cubs may be released at a different location. Animals to be relocated are tested for TB three times. Only badgers testing negative to all three tests are released and any animal testing positive is euthanased. The code also requires that released badgers are permanently marked (by a tattoo or microchip) and registered.
	Under section 10 of the Act, licences may be issued to permit badgers to be taken from the wild (and relocated if necessary) for a limited range of specified purposes. These include scientific investigation, preventing the spread of disease, and preventing serious damage to property. Depending on the purpose of the operation, licences are issued by either the appropriate statutory conservation agency or agricultural department (English Nature and Defra, respectively, in England).
	Licences to relocate badgers are only issued if such action is clearly justified and where there is considered to be a very low risk of transmitting bovine tuberculosis (TB).
	Before any badgers are released at a new location all animals must be tested three times for TB. All badgers testing positive to any of the three tests, or in contact with a badger testing positive, are euthanased.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which persons and organisations are permitted to slaughter badgers; what conditions are imposed on them; and under what circumstances badgers are allowed to be slaughtered.

Ben Bradshaw: No persons or organisations are permitted to slaughter badgers.
	Badgers are a protected species and it is an offence to kill (or attempt to kill) a badger (Protection of Badgers Act 1992 s.1(1)). A person guilty of this offence is liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for up to six months and/or a fine of up to £5,000 (this applies to each badger killed).
	There are certain specified exceptions to this offence under which badgers may be lawfully killed. These are summarised as follows.
	Section 6—General exceptions
	A person is not guilty of an offence:
	where a seriously injured badger is killed or attempted to be killed as an act of mercy;
	where a badger is unavoidably killed or injured as an incidental result of a lawful action; and
	doing anything which is authorised under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 eg experimental procedures approved under licence to advance biological or behavioural knowledge etc.
	Section 7—"Farmer's defence"
	A person is not guilty of an offence by reason of killing a badger if the action was necessary for the purpose of preventing serious damage to land, crops, poultry or other form of property.
	This defence cannot be relied upon if it was apparent before that time that action would prove necessary and a licence had not been applied for as soon as reasonably practicable, or where an application for such a licence had been determined. Section 10—Licences
	Licences may be granted to permit badgers to be killed for the following purposes:
	scientific or educational purposes or the conservation of badgers;
	preventing the spread of disease;
	preventing serious damage to land, crops, poultry or any other form of property.
	All licences are judged on their own merits and would be subject to compliance with conditions specified in the licence.
	The exceptions, and any conditions that apply, are stated in full in the Act, which is available from Her Majesty's Stationary Office or online at: www. legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1992/Ukpga 19920051 en l.htm.

Badgers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under what circumstances badgers may be removed from setts; and what regulations govern such removals.

Ben Bradshaw: Badgers are a protected species and it is an offence to remove (or attempt to remove) a badger from its sett, either forcibly (including the use of dogs) or by installing exclusion measures (such as one-way gates), or by obstructing access of a badger to its sett (Protection of Badgers Act 1992). A person guilty of any of these offences is liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for up to six months and/or a fine of up to £5000.
	The legislation includes provisions for the granting of licences, which, where justified, could be used to permit the removal (by exclusion) of badgers from a sett. The purposes for which licences may be issued are summarised as follows:
	Science, education or conservation of badgers
	Zoological collections
	Ringing or marking
	Development
	Archaeological preservation or investigation
	Investigating offences
	Preventing the spread of disease
	Preventing serious damage to land, crops, poultry or any other form of property
	Agricultural or forestry operations
	Drainage or sea defence
	These purposes are described in full in the Act, which is available from Her Majesty's Stationary Office or online at: www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1992/Ukpga 19920051 en l.htm.
	All licences are judged on their own merits and would be subject to compliance with conditions specified in the licence.
	Controls relating to the removal of badgers from setts where the intention is to relocate the animals elsewhere—rather than simply denying access to a particular sett—are described in the joint response to parliamentary questions 0673 2003–04 and 0675 2003–04.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the proportion of TB in cattle that arises from cattle-to-cattle spread.

Ben Bradshaw: No such estimate has been made. In many cases, it is not possible to ascribe the source of TB infection in cattle, as the routes of transmission of Mycobacterium bovis (the causative agent for bovine tuberculosis) from cattle to cattle, and between environmental sources (including wildlife) and cattle, are not fully understood.
	Part of the TB research programme includes investigation of the pathogenesis of M. bovis in cattle. In addition, a survey is underway to assess potential risk factors that may predispose herds to TB outbreaks. A preliminary analysis is set out in the Third Report of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB.

CFCs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions there have been of companies that illegally supply CFCs within the UK over the last five years.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 19 January 2004
	Under EC Regulation 2037/2000 on ozone depleting substances and the production and supply of CFCs, except for a very small amount for laboratory and analytical uses and essential uses, was banned in the UK and other member states from January 1995. This reduced and subsequently phased out any existing stocks of CFCs in the UK. The supply of CFCs for these uses is controlled by a licencing system, in which suppliers are given an import or export declaration. The amounts of CFCs requested by companies are also agreed in advance by member states. All import declarations are processed by Customs and Excise to ensure appropriate licences have been obtained, and no illegal imports have been detected in recent years.

CFCs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how her Department is working with (a) other Departments, (b) the EU and (c) governments of developing countries to help them tackle their illegal CFC trade.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 19 January 2004
	Within the EU, licences issued by the Commission and quotas that are agreed in advance by member states control trade in CFCs. UK Customs and Excise have a monitoring system known as CHIEF system that processes import declarations. Profiles are set against commodity codes on products that could contain a potential ozone depleting substance. Customs officers then seek clarification from my officials at Defra, when there is a potential problem with an import.
	The Montreal Protocol established the Multilateral Fund to assist developing countries in their phase-out of ozone depleting substances. The UK has so far contributed over $105 million to the fund. The fund supports projects prepared by developing countries and Implementing Agencies (UNEP, UNIDO, UNDP and the World bank) aimed at phasing out ozone depleting substances. Their projects include institutional strengthening and capacity building, and also the compliance assistance programme run by UNEP. An example of activities supported by the fund are compliance with the Montreal Protocol, customs training, illegal trade information exchange and awareness raising workshops being organised by UNEP in regions such as South Asia and South East Asia. The UK has been an active member of the South Asia Network.

Fisheries

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the yearly cod quota was, broken down by area, over the last five years; and what amounts of cod were caught in those areas in those years.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK's cod quotas for EC waters and corresponding landings made by UK vessels for each of the last five years are given in the table.
	
		Cod stocks in EC waters where UK has quota (tonnes live weight of fish)
		
			   1999 2000 2001 2002 2003(12) 
		
		
			 North Sea UK quota 55,660 34,149 20,265 20,377 10,696 
			 [lla(EC), IV] Landings 33,436 27,701 19,448 18,612 9,905 
			 West of Scotland [ UK quota 5,960 3,530 2,322 2,770 1,084 
			 Vb(EC),VIXII, XIV] Landings 3,487 2,654 1,845 1,788 966 
			 Irish Sea UK quota 2,320 950 925 1,378 612 
			 [Vila] Landings 1,742 835 902 1,160 514 
			 Vllb-k, VIM, IX, UK quota 1,870 1,740 1,287 802 554 
			 X, CECAF 34.1.1 (EC) Landings 1,412 1,132 1,115 740 476 
		
	
	(12) Landings data for 2003 are provisional at the current time

Fishing Research

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on fishing research in each of the last five financial years.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has spent the following amounts on marine fisheries research in each of the last five financial years.
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2002–03 3.37 
			 2001–02 3.35 
			 2000–01 3.57 
			 1999–2000 3.07 
			 1998–99 4.10

Flooding

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many houses in England she estimates are uninsurable owing to flood risk.

Elliot Morley: According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), it is the intention of the insurance industry, working in partnership with the Government, that flood insurance should continue to be available to the vast majority of existing properties. As set out in the ABI's Statement of Principles 1 , of the 1.9 million properties on the floodplain, flood insurance will continue to be available for all those properties defended to a minimum standard of 1 in 75, or for those properties where such defences are planned by 2007.
	For other properties (currently estimated at 200,000), insurers cannot guarantee to maintain cover, but will examine the risks on a case-by-case basis, and will use their best efforts to continue to provide cover. ABI believes that nearly all homes are insurable to a degree, provided appropriate local action is taken to protect the property, e.g., use of flood resilient design, accredited protection products, and temporary defences. However, the insurance industry has signalled that inappropriate new developments in the floodplain are unlikely to be able to secure insurance cover.
	1 www.abi.org.uk/Display/File/78/Statement of Principles.doc

Greyhounds (Welfare)

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to improve the welfare of racing greyhounds; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: We are considering a range of possible measures under the proposed Animal Welfare Bill to improve greyhound welfare with the racing industry and welfare organisations.

Indigenous Flora

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to encourage the planting of local, indigenous flora.

Ben Bradshaw: The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), one of the main outcomes of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, aims to ensure the conservation of biodiversity, its sustainable use, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. As part of the Government's commitment to the CBD the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) was published in 1994. The UK BAP sets targets for the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity in the UK and individual action plans have now been published for 391 species and 45 habitats of conservation importance, including for 75 flowering plants.
	With regard to payment of grants under the Defra agri-environment schemes, we encourage the use of native and local provenance seed as far as possible. Detailed guidance is provided in the Countryside Stewardship Scheme Handbook. For instance, when re-creating grassland on cultivated land the species of grass used should be from a specified list of species and of native and local provenance. If applicants have problems in obtaining native seed or stock they are advised to discuss other options with their stewardship advisor. In some circumstances alternative seed mixes may be agreed and wild flower seed may be added.
	There is also a specific stewardship payment which helps meet the cost of buying in seed. However, to qualify for this payment the seed must be native seed of local provenance. Similarly with tree and hedge planting and management, Countryside Stewardship agreement holders are required to use stock of native and local provenance where possible. Where this is not possible alternative options are to be discussed with the Stewardship Adviser. As regards EU legislation on accredited sources of seed for trees and the production of locally sourced plants, on 1 January 2003 the Forestry Commission brought in the Forest Reproductive Material (Great Britain) Regulations 2002, implementing EU Directive 1999/105 on the marketing of forest reproductive material. These regulations increase the number of species controlled by law to 46 species and the genus "Populus". This includes 15 tree species which are native to Great Britain. The regulations are deliberately structured in a way to encourage the collection of local seed. Sellers of planting stock are required to issue a supplier's document to the buyer, setting out whether or not the stock is locally sourced.
	In addition, for native species not controlled by law, the Forestry Commission promotes the harvesting of local seed from native trees and shrubs through the Voluntary Scheme for the Certification of Native Trees and Shrubs. Further details of this scheme can be found on the Forestry Commission's website at: http://forestry.gov.uk/frm
	In July this year we published the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate which set new targets to measure progress made to protect and improve biodiversity on the Government Estate. They include a target to assess and improve the condition of Government owned Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs); a requirement for all Government Departments who own sites of significant biodiversity interest to produce Biodiversity Action Plans; and a requirement to set a biodiversity target in contracts for new and refurbished Government buildings. The guidance which accompanies the targets encourages Departments, when renewing maintenance contracts, to consider building in clauses on the purchase/planting of native species of plants.
	In 2001, recognising concerns that present arrangements for handling issues relating to non-native species were insufficient, Defra commissioned a Review of Non-native species policy. A range of organisations was represented on the working group, and its report was published in March 2003. The issues which it raises are complex, and a combination of measures will be required to address these. The report highlighted problems with non-native genotypes and recommended that there was a need to raise public awareness of this issue.
	The Government have published their initial response to the report and are carrying out a consultation exercise with the aim of developing a framework for dealing with invasive non-native species. Details of the consultation can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/nnspecies-policy/index.htm

Indigenous Flora

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of trees planted by local authorities she requires to be native; and what steps is she taking to ensure that this requirement is met.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government place no such requirement on local authorities. We encourage the planting of the appropriate trees in appropriate places and authorities are advised to choose species which are suitable for their intended purpose, whether for screening, shade, ornamentation, landscape character or wildlife habitat. The soil and conditions prevailing on the site are also important considerations in species selection.

Joint Environmental Markets Unit

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to change the responsibilities of the Joint Environmental Markets Unit.

Elliot Morley: DTI and Defra's Joint Environmental Markets Unit (JEMU), part of DTI's Business Group, aims to increase the UK's share of domestic and global markets for environmental goods and services. In response to the Environmental Goods and Services Innovation and Growth Team report of 2002, the Government are expanding JEMU to promote innovation in the environmental goods and services industry.
	The Government have decided to transfer responsibility for JEMU's international trade promotion work to UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) to form a dedicated Environment Sector unit in UKTI. This will bring arrangements for promoting the UK environmental goods and services industry overseas, in line with those for most other industry sectors, and build on the current close working between JEMU and UKTI. The Business Group and UKT&I units will continue to work closely together and there will continue to be close involvement of Defra and DTI in the work of both units.

Kyoto Targets

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information she has collated about compliance with the Kyoto agreement targets by EU member states; and what instruments are available to the Commission to ensure that these targets are met.

Elliot Morley: The European Union and its member states agreed to a target under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8 per cent. below base year levels by 2008–12. The EU and its member states have agreed to meet their commitments jointly and, under a burden-sharing arrangement, the EU target has been redistributed between member states to reflect their national circumstances, requirements for economic growth, and the scope for further emission reductions.
	Under the provisions of the Monitoring Mechanism Decision (Council Decision 93/389/EEC as amended by Decision 99/296/EC), member states are required to report annually to the Commission on their anthropogenic emissions of the six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol and on their national projections for emissions of these gases.
	The European Commission uses this information to assess annually, whether the actual and projected progress of member states is sufficient to ensure fulfilment of the EU's and member states' commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol. The latest progress report, published in December last year, provides data for members states' emissions in 2001, and their projected emissions for 2010. That report notes that the EU had cut its total emissions to 2.3 per cent. below base year levels and that aggregate member states' "with existing measures" projections suggest that in 2010 EU emissions will have decreased by 0.5 per cent. leaving a gap of 7.5 per cent. from the Kyoto target. Eleven member states have identified additional policies and measures to achieve their commitments under the burden-sharing agreement. Taking into account these "with additional measures" projections shows that six member states—Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Sweden and the UK—would over-achieve their individual commitments. The over-achievement by those member states would result in emissions reductions for the EU as a whole of 7.2 per cent. below base year emissions.
	The performance of the individual member states in 2001 and where they project their emissions will be in 2010 are set out in the following table.
	
		Member states Kyoto Protocol (burden-sharing) targets compared with emissions projections to 2010
		
			  Percentage of base yearemissions In percentage of base yearemissions 
			  Emissions target for 2008–12 under EU burden-sharing agreement Change of emissions in 2001 compared with base year Gap between burden-sharing target and projected emissions in 2010 based on existing policies and measures Gap between burden-sharing target and projected emissions in 2010 based on both existing and additional policies and measures 
		
		
			 Austria -13.0 9.6 24.5 5.7 
			 Belgium -7.5 6.3 22.9 13.4 
			 Denmark -21.0 -0.2 37.8 35.1 
			 Finland 0.0 4.7 16.5 -0.5 
			 France 0.0 0.4 9.5 -1.2 
			 Germany -21.0 -18.3 1.3 (13)— 
			 Greece 25.0 23.5 10.7 -0.8 
			 Ireland 13.0 31.1 26.8 -0.3 
			 Italy -6.5 7.1 10.2 3.1 
			 Luxembourg -28.0 -44.2 5.6 (13)— 
			 Netherlands -6.0 4.1 12.1 10.7 
			 Portugal 27.0 36.4 14.0 (13)— 
			 Spain 15.0 32.1 33.3 13.0 
			 Sweden 4.0 -3.3 -3.3 (13)— 
			 UK -12.5 -12.0 -1.4 -10.0 
			 EU total -8.0 -2.3 7.5 0.8 
		
	
	(13) No data provided
	The "with existing measures" projections only consider the policies and measures currently implemented, while the "with additional measures" projections also take those policies and measures into account which are under discussion and have a realistic chance of implementation. Neither set of projections, however, take into account the effects from several policies and measures being developed under the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP), particularly the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, which is due to be start in 2005 and has the potential to deliver substantial additional emission cuts.
	The Government consider that placing the responsibility on member states to take the necessary action so that they meet their burden sharing targets is the best way of ensuring that the EU meets its target under the Kyoto Protocol. They will therefore support the European Commission's efforts to ensure that member states implement the policies and measures set out in the European Climate Change Programme fully and effectively.
	Under the new Monitoring Mechanism Decision, which will replace Decision 93/389/EEC, member states must, following the completion of the review of their national inventories, retire allowances (assigned amount units, removal units, emission reduction units and certified emission reductions) equivalent to their net emissions during that year for each year of the Kyoto Protocol's five year commitment period. This requirement to retire allowances annually means that member states are obliged systematically to take steps to comply with their targets over a number of years. It will give early notice of any difficulties arising where member states are not likely to have sufficient allowances to cover their emissions over the full commitment period and so will need to take further action to reduce their emissions or to acquire allowances from other Parties to the Protocol that have a surplus.
	Where member states fail to comply with obligations arising under EC law with respect to emissions reductions, the European Commission may bring proceedings against them under Article 226 of the EC Treaty. Moreover, in the event that a member state fails to comply with a judgment of the European Court of Justice, the Commission may take further action under Article 228, which could result in the imposition of fines. Member states' commitments under the burden-sharing agreement may therefore be enforced by legal action resulting in sanctions.

North Kent Marshes

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to remove the special landscape area designation for the North Kent Marshes, with particular reference to Elmley; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 19 January 2004
	Elmley is in the North Kent Marshes Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA), which was first designated in 1993. The ESA contains grazing marsh habitat that is internationally important for over-wintering and breeding birds and there are no plans to remove the ESA designation which has been successful in safeguarding these interests. New agri-environment schemes are being developed so that we can build on these achievements and enhance biodiversity.

Plant Passports

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many plants have been imported without passports in each year since passports were introduced.

Ben Bradshaw: The plant passporting regime applies to certain plants and plant products known to host the most serious ("quarantine") pests and diseases. It applies only for movements within the European Community and there are no border checks carried out, although spot checks may take place anywhere in the trade chain. Producers of such material are required to be officially registered and be subject to official inspection at least annually in order to be authorised to issue plant passports.
	There are no data available either on the number of consignments received in the UK for which a plant passport has been issued by a producer, or the number of consignments received for which a passport is not required. EU legislation does not require such information to be recorded, although those despatching and receiving passported material must maintain records to facilitate monitoring and enforcement.
	In cases where official monitoring detects that a plant passport is missing on a plant or product covered by the passporting requirements, enforcement action is taken. This involves notification of the plant health authorities in the member state in which the material originated, as well as the return or destruction of the material.

Sudden Oak Death

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of using helicopters for the purpose of identifying trees infected with sudden oak death; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: It would not be possible to spot signs of infection of Phytophthora ramorum from the air unless infection and dieback of trees and shrubs was extensive. The employment of helicopters would therefore only be of assistance to identify areas of dense planting and woodland for further investigation in areas where the infection is considerably more severe than any of the UK outbreaks identified to date. Plant health inspectors already have access to an on-line aerial photograph mapping facility to assist them in planning ground based inspections. They also have experience of using aerial surveys to detect plant disease on arable crops, although this has been with fixed wing aircraft rather than helicopters. The possibility of aerial surveys will be kept under review.

Sudden Oak Death

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the effects of using methyl bromide as the fungicide of choice for combating sudden oak death; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Methyl bromide is a fumigant approved for use as a pre-planting soil sterilant against some soil borne diseases including some Phytophthora species mainly in horticultural situations. Its effectiveness specifically against Phytopthora ramorum has not been evaluated because this is a new species. The pesticide may already be used by nursery staff growing plant stock for the purpose of eradicating other known pests and diseases in soil pre-planting. However it is not approved for use against fungal pathogens on growing plants due to phytotoxicity problems caused by the high doses that would be necessary. The methodology of applying soil fumigants would also make it impracticable to use this a means of dealing with infection in the wider environment. There are considerable health and safety implications attached to the use of this acutely toxic substance.
	The only form of treatment currently available to eliminate infection by Phytophthora ramorum is removal and destruction of plant material. Currently approved fungicides have a suppressive effect which masks symptoms rather than eradicating the pathogen from infected plants. However, Horticulture Development Council funded research at the Central Science Laboratory is looking at a range of substances to see how well they can eradicate infection or protect healthy nursery stock from new infection.

US Ships (Decommissioning)

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the US ships intended for decommissioning by Able UK contain chemicals banned in the US.

Elliot Morley: The US Toxic Substances Control Act generally prohibits the export of PCBs greater in concentration that 50 ppm although an enforcement discretion permitted the export of PCBs above this concentration on the condition that all liquid or easily accessible PCBs were removed beforehand. We understand that all such PCBs were removed as part of the contractual obligations between the US Maritime Administration and Able UK Ltd.

US Ships (Decommissioning)

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the High Court ruling on 8 December regarding the dismantling of the contaminated former US naval ships.

Elliot Morley: No. Defra were not a party in the case and it is possible that parties will appeal against the decision. The ships are not contaminated any more or less than any similar ship of their age. To describe them as such is misleading.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Freedom of Information

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent steps the Department has taken to promote (a) freedom of information, (b) data protection and (c) human rights.

David Lammy: Details of the steps taken to promote freedom of information in the last year are included in the annual report on bringing into force those provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which are not yet fully in force. This was laid before both Houses on 27 November 2003 and copies have been placed in the Library. The Department has also produced a model action plan to assist public authorities in their preparations for implementation of the Freedom of Information Act which includes sections on raising awareness of freedom of information with staff, stakeholders and the public. Copies are available from the Department and its website.
	The Department has regular meetings with the Information Commissioner, who has statutory responsibility for promoting the observance of the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 by data controllers and for disseminating information to the public about the operation of the Act. The Information Commissioner also has responsibility for the promotion of awareness and compliance with the Freedom of Information Act. Both the Commissioner and the Department keep under review the operation of the Data Protection Act and closely monitor and contribute to the development of international initiatives in the data protection field.
	Officials at the Department have delivered eight awareness raising roadshows on human rights in the past year. The delivery of roadshows is on-going and with further dates already confirmed in Leeds and Oxford.
	The Department maintains a dedicated human rights helpdesk to assist members of the public and produces publications including a detailed "Study Guide to the Human Rights Act 1998", a leaflet entitled "An introduction to the Human Rights Act," which is available in nine different languages, plus an audio tape and a copy of the study guide in braille. The officials are also in the process of commissioning CD- ROM guidance on the Act, a further edition of the study guide and special guidance for those with learning disabilities. The Department's human rights website attracts praise from a number of key stakeholders , and receive an average of 1,150 hits per week.
	The Department provides assistance to the Institute for Global Ethics and Citizenship Foundation in delivering the Impetus Project—encouraging children across the UK to learn about human rights as part of their citizenship education.
	I have written in my capacity as Minister for Human Rights to each Council Leader and Public Authority Chief Executive in England and Wales—enclosing a copy of an Audit Commission report on human rights. The Act can be a valuable tool for driving up standards of public service delivery.
	I am keen to ensure that the Department takes advantage of every opportunity to speak on human rights.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Building Regulations

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the system for ensuring compliance with the building regulations in the construction of new houses.

Phil Hope: A person intending to build a new house must either apply to the local authority's building control department or they must engage an inspector approved under Part II of the Building Act 1984. The local authority or the approved inspector will then check the plans and the building work for compliance with the Building Regulations.

Building Regulations

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received from the Building Control Performance Standards Advisory Group;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Building Control Performance Standards Advisory Group on the effect competition has had on standards in building control.

Phil Hope: No recent discussions have taken place with the Building Control Performance Standards Advisory Group nor has the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister received any representations from them. The Group are welcome to raise with me, at any time, any matters relating to standards in building control.

Building Regulations

Mark Todd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his Answer of 5 January 2004, Official Report, column 142W, on the fenestration self-assessment scheme, how large the sample of work monitored to ensure compliance with building regulations is; and if he will publish the report on compliance.

Phil Hope: The Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme (FENSA) routinely monitors annually 1 per cent. of the work of its member firms, with a minimum of two inspections per year. Where an inspection shows that the work has not complied, the rate of inspection for that firm will be increased. Extra inspections are also carried out in response to complaints that work does not comply. Local authorities retain their right to inspect work carried out by registered FENSA installers and to take enforcement action against them where appropriate. Local authorities will use these powers in response to a complaint.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's report on compliance is available on the ODPM website. Copies are also available in the Libraries of the House.

Building Regulations

Sue Doughty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will publish the results of studies into pressure testing of homes to assess whether requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations are being fully implemented.

Phil Hope: The current requirements in Part L for the airtightness of new homes came into effect on 1 April 2002. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will publish the results of pressure tests on a sample of new homes built to these standards in support of the consultation on the proposals for the next major revision of Part L, planned for this summer.

Fire Service College

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of the Airfield Support Services Project on Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh.

Phil Hope: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has not yet made a decision on the Airfield Support Services Project. The possibility of joint working with the MoD on airfield support fire service training is warmly welcomed by the Fire Service College and is being taken into account in its strategic planning process.

Local Authority Debt

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  which local authorities in England are operating on a debt-free status;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to protect the debt-free status of local authorities;
	(3)  how much funding derived from capital receipts has been transferred by his Department in each of the last five years from debt-free local authorities to Metropolitan local authorities;
	(4)  if he will end the transfer of funding derived from capital receipts from debt-free local authorities to Metropolitan local authorities.

Nick Raynsford: The table below lists the 134 local authorities that had debt-free status as of 30 September 2003:
	It was formerly our practice to take into account local authorities' capital receipts when issuing the credit approvals which allow them to borrow. That ended in April 2003. No estimates are available of the resources thereby redistributed from debt-free authorities to metropolitan authorities.
	The redistribution of resources remains a fundamental principle of the housing finance system. It is currently achieved by the requirement for authorities to set aside for debt redemption part of their housing capital receipts. Debt-free authorities are exempt and have thus enjoyed an advantage unavailable to others, but that anomaly will be corrected from 1 April this year, when set-aside is replaced by pooling, under which all authorities must pay part of their housing capital receipts to the Government. Transitional measures will protect debt-free authorities from the full impact of this new redistribution mechanism for three years. Thereafter they will be treated on the same basis as authorities with debt. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister consider that the recently introduced the new prudential framework for local authority borrowing and authorities who need to borrow and can afford to do so should not be deterred by artificial incentives to remain free of debt.
	Local authorities who have reported that they have 'debt free status' as at 30 September 2003
	Ashford
	Aylesbury Vale
	Babergh
	Barking & Dagenham
	Basingstoke & Deane
	Bath & North East Somerset
	Bedford
	Bracknell Forest
	Breckland
	Bridgnorth
	Broadland
	Bromley
	Bromsgrove
	Broxbourne
	Cambridge
	Chelmsford
	Cherwell
	Chichester
	Chiltern
	Christchurch
	City of London
	Congleton
	Corby
	Cotswold
	Crawley
	Dacorum
	Dartford
	Daventry
	East Cambridgeshire
	East Devon
	East Dorset
	East Hampshire
	East Lindsey
	East Northamptonshire
	Eastleigh
	Eden
	Elmbridge
	Epping Forest
	Epsom & Ewell
	Erewash
	Exeter
	Forest Heath
	Fylde
	Guildford
	Hambleton
	Harlow
	Hart
	Havant
	Hertsmere
	Horsham
	Huntingdonshire
	Kennet
	Lichfield
	Macclesfield
	Maldon
	Malvern Hills
	Mendip
	Mid Bedfordshire
	Mid Sussex
	Mole Valley
	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	North Devon
	North Dorset
	North Wiltshire
	Penwith
	Redditch
	Reigate & Banstead
	Rother
	Runnymede
	Rushcliffe
	Rushmoor
	Ryedale
	Salisbury
	Sevenoaks
	Shrewsbury & Atcham
	South Bucks
	South Cambridgeshire
	South Hams
	South Lakeland
	South Northamptonshire
	South Oxfordshire
	South Shropshire
	South Somerset
	South Staffordshire
	Spelthorne
	St. Albans
	St. Edmundsbury
	Staffordshire Moorlands
	Stevenage
	Stratford-on-Avon
	Suffolk Coastal
	Surrey Heath
	Swale
	Tandridge
	Tewkesbury
	Three Rivers
	Tonbridge & Malling
	Tunbridge Wells
	Tynedale
	Uttlesford
	Vale Royal
	Vale of White Horse
	Watford
	Waverley
	Wellingborough
	Welwyn Hatfield
	West Berkshire UA
	West Devon
	West Dorset
	West Lindsey
	West Oxfordshire
	West Wiltshire
	Winchester
	Windsor & Maidenhead
	Woking
	Worthing
	Wychavon
	Wycombe
	Wyre
	Wyre Forest
	Dorset police authority
	Kent police authority
	Suffolk police authority
	Sussex police authority
	Wiltshire police authority
	Dartmoor national park authority
	Exmoor national park authority
	Lake District national park
	North York Moors national park authority
	Northumberland national park authority
	Peak national park authority
	The Broads Authority
	Yorkshire Dales national park authority
	North London waste authority
	For the purpose of this table, an authority is 'debt-free' only if:
	(a) at 31 March 2003, the authority's credit ceiling was nil or a negative amount and
	(b) at 30 September 2003, the authority had no money outstanding by way of external borrowing other than short-term borrowing or hard to redeem debt, as defined in Regulation 154 of the Local Authorities (Capital Finance) Regulations 1997.

Local Authority Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his policy of requiring councils to submit proposals for disposing of their housing stock by July 2005 applies to (a) all councils and (b) only those councils unable to meet decent housing targets; how many councils have so far had applications for disposal of their housing stock accepted; what steps he is taking to ensure that the rest apply; how many proposals have been rejected by tenants' ballots; and how local authorities whose tenants reject proposals in ballots are to be helped to reach the decent housing targets.

Yvette Cooper: All local authorities must produce a robust stock appraisal by July 2005, which must be signed off by the relevant Government Office of the Region. Where that process identifies that additional investment is required to meet the decent homes target, local authorities can choose from three options singly or in combination: set up a high performing Arms Length Housing Management Organisation (ALMO); pursue a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme; and transfer housing to one or more housing associations.
	Since April 2001, 29 local authorities have transferred whole or part of their stock and 11 transfers have not proceeded because tenants have voted against the proposal.
	The option appraisal process is designed to ensure that tenants are involved in the decision making process from the start and that they are fully informed about the scale of the task in delivering decent homes.
	Where there is a no vote it is for the authority and tenants to re-examine the options that are available.

Local Government Finance

Ken Purchase: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will make a statement on (a) the local government finance settlement, (b) the supported borrowing allocation for capital spend and (c) the Supporting People grant notification for 2004–05.

Nick Raynsford: Announcements on these issues will be made shortly.

Regional Government

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 7 January 2004, Official Report, columns 399–400W, elected regional assembly for Yorkshire and the Humber, if he will place in the Library the evidence upon which his assertion was based.

Yvette Cooper: The Government are committed to promoting economic growth in Yorkshire and the Humber and an elected regional assembly is very much part of this framework. An elected assembly would clearly bring greater democratic accountability to the region because, for the first time, activities which are currently carried out by central government, its agencies and quangos, would become the responsibility of a democratically elected regional assembly. However it will be a matter of choice for the regional electorate as to whether they wish to have an elected regional assembly.
	The White Papers "Your Region, Your Choice" and "Our Fire and Rescue Service" are already available in the Library of the House and fully set out our proposals for the regional responsibilities of elected regional assemblies, including the economic arguments, in favour.

Supporting People Programme

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the operation of the Supporting People programme.

Yvette Cooper: The Supporting People programme which went live on 1 April 2003 provides housing related support services for more than 1 million vulnerable people—including the homeless, women fleeing domestic violence and older people—to live independently in their accommodation.
	The programme introduced an integrated planning and funding framework for housing related support services.

Supporting People Programme

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on funding for the Supporting People programme in its first year of operation; and what its estimated budget is for the next two years.

Yvette Cooper: Last October, the Government issued a written statement in the Houses of Parliament announcing funding of £1.8 billion for the first year of the Supporting People programme in England.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be making an announcement about 2004–05 funding shortly.
	An announcement for 2005–06 funding will be made in the summer.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcohol Misuse

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives the Government plan to reduce the harm associated with alcohol misuse; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit published an interim analytical report on the harms associated with alcohol misuse on 19 September 2003. This report identifies the following broad areas for policy interventions: education, information and communication; supply and pricing; health and treatment services; the community safety and criminal justice. The findings of this report have been used to inform development of the Government's alcohol harm reduction strategy, which will be published shortly.

Animal Welfare

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the stakeholder forum on the care and use of primates in experiments will be set up; what the terms of reference will be; who will be included on the forum; and when it will report.

Caroline Flint: Establishment of a stakeholder forum to consider issues relating to the use of non-human primates in scientific procedures was recommended in the report by the Animal Procedures Committee (APC) "The Use of Primates under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986".
	This recommendation was accepted, and a forum has accordingly been set up. It will meet on 9 January. It has no formal terms of reference. Its principal task is to consider other recommendations in the APC's report. The aim is to hold an informed debate that will assist preparation of a ministerial response to the issues that the ARC has raised.
	Attendance at the forum is by invitation only. Invitees include a broad range of organisations with practical experience of the use of primates in scientific procedures, as well as those from funding and regulatory organisations and other Government Departments.
	A report of the forum's meeting and conclusions will be placed on the Home Office and ARC websites as soon as it is available.

Animal Welfare

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the feasibility of implementing the recommendations in the House of Lords report on the use of animals in scientific procedures; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Home Office has not commissioned, or evaluated, any formal research into the feasibility of implementing the recommendations of the House of Lords Select Committee on Animals in Scientific Procedures, published in July 2002. The Government's response to the Select Committee's report was published on 20 January 2003 (Cm 5729). Copies have been placed in the Library.
	The Government welcomed the Select Committee's report and noted in particular, and endorsed, its finding that animal experiments are currently necessary to develop human and veterinary medicines and to protect humans and the environment.
	We also reaffirmed our commitment to the fullest possible application of the 3Rs—the refinement of scientific procedures, the reduction in the numbers of animals used and their replacement wherever possible—and to greater openness regarding the use of animals in scientific procedures, subject to safeguards for personal and confidential information.
	We were unable to accept four of the Select Committee's recommendations (numbers 15, 19, 23 and 27). These related to the inspection of establishments, the training requirement for visiting scientists and students from overseas, the requirement for lay members of local Ethical Review Processes, and the reporting of genetically modified animals which are bred but not used in the annual statistics on animal use.
	We agreed, or broadly accepted, eleven recommendations (11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 22, 24, 25, 29, 30 and 31). Action on these is in hand. In particular, we are currently exploring the recommendation that a United Kingdom centre for research into the 3Rs should be established. As part of this work the Chief Inspector of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate has sought the views of interested parties—primarily those who fund and undertake animal research—to gather information on the scope for such a centre.
	We are also looking again at the possible streamlining of the project licence application form, and at the arrangements for publication of licensing information, through a joint project team with scientific stakeholders. I have asked for progress reports on all of these issues early in 2004. In addition, the Animal Procedures Committee has been asked to review the annual statistics publication and is due to report by the end of 2004.
	One other recommendation (28), regarding the repeal of section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, has been the subject of a further period of review and consultation since publication of the Government reply. I hope to announce the outcome shortly.
	The remaining eight recommendations (8, 9, 10, 13, 17, 20, 21, and 26) broadly endorsed existing Home Office policy and practice.

Animal Welfare

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of licence applications under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were (a) accepted without alteration, (b) returned for redrafting before resubmission and (c) rejected in the last year for which figures are available; and how many and what percentage were referred for consideration to the Animals Procedures Committee.

Caroline Flint: A feature of the regulatory regime under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 is the discussion that often takes place at an early stage between applicants (or prospective applicants) and the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate. This means that proposals unlikely to meet the Act's stringent requirements are revised or withdrawn before formal refusal becomes necessary.
	Our central database records do not show all these dealings that commonly go on between applicants and individual Inspectors at various stages in the application process, and much of the requested information is therefore not readily available.
	We can say that in 2002, the last year in which figures were published, one project licence application was formally refused. Over the same period, 97 project licence applications, 17 personal licence applications and one application for a certificate of designation are recorded as not proceeded with.
	For additional information, paragraph 12 of Appendix A of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals (Great Britain) 2002 (Command 5886, available in the Library) provides the total number of project and personal licences, and certificates of designation, granted and revoked during 2002, showing how many were in force on 31 December 2002.
	During 2002, a total of four project licence applications were referred to the Animals Procedures Committee for consideration. This represents 0.58 per cent. of the total project licences granted that year.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been (a) granted and (b) refused by each magistrates bench in North Wales since their introduction.

Hazel Blears: A total of 16 notifications have been received by the Home Office, of Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) granted within North Wales, up to 30 September 2003 (latest available). Of this total, 15 have been issued within magistrates courts, details of which are given in the table, and, following implementation of the Police Reform Act (December 2002), one ASBO has been given by the Crown court at Mold (North Wales and Chester Crown court group). No notifications have been received of ASBOs refused in North Wales.
	The number of notifications of ASBOs issued within North Wales, as reported to the Home Office, up to 30 September 2003, by magistrates court.
	
		
			 Magistrates court Total issued 
		
		
			 Conwy psa 3 
			 Flintshire psa 3 
			 Gwynedd psa 2 
			 Wrexham Maelor psa 7

Immigration

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings he has had with hon. Members about immigration cases in the last 12 months.

David Blunkett: The Minister of State with responsibility for immigration, my right hon. Friend the Member for Stretford and Urmston (Beverley Hughes) regularly meets hon. Members to discuss particular immigration cases.

Asylum

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will define the circumstances in which it would be in the interests of children of asylum seekers to separate them from their parents.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 8 December 2003
	The Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Bill does not change in any way the grounds on which children may be taken into care. The Government's policy remains to ensure that families whose asylum claims have failed are removed together. Where there are difficulties or delays with enforced removal, but families have been provided with opportunities to return voluntarily and at no cost to themselves, the Bill provides that families who refuse these opportunities would no longer be entitled to support at the expense of the taxpayer. If parents fail to take these opportunities to leave and put their children at risk, it would be for the local authority to decide how the interests of their children should be protected under existing child protection legislation.

Asylum

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many unaccompanied child asylum seekers arrived at Gatwick in each of the last three years; and how many of them are registered in care;
	(2)  how many unaccompanied child asylum seekers have presented themselves at UK ports of entry in each of the last six years.

Beverley Hughes: Data on the number of asylum seekers without documentation claiming to be minors that arrive at specific ports of entry are not recorded and collated centrally. This information could therefore be obtained from individual case files only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on asylum statistics is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women were allowed to enter the United Kingdom as political or religious refugees from Somalia during 2003.

Beverley Hughes: The number of Somali men and women allowed to enter the United Kingdom as political or religious refugees during 2003 is not currently available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.
	Information on asylum applications and decisions by gender and nationality is published annually. The annual publication for 2003 will be available at the end of August 2004 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate web site at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Cannabis

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policies to tackle cannabis abuse.

Caroline Flint: The Government are determined to support the police in tackling the problem of drug abuse with an effective and realistic approach to drug legislation, enforcement and education. Cannabis will not be legalised or decriminalised. It is a harmful drug that will remain illegal following its reclassification as a Class C drug on 29 January.
	Our drugs laws and our educational messages to young people must reflect the relative harms of drugs, in accordance with the available scientific and medical advice, if they are to be credible. Reclassification will enable a more convincing and ultimately more effective educational message to be conveyed to young people about the dangers of misusing different types of drug, including cannabis.
	We are publishing information about what reclassification will mean in practice—through making a leaflet widely available to young people and through extensive radio advertising, beginning on 22 January—to ensure that the clear message that cannabis is illegal and harmful continues to be heard. This information will feed into the three year FRANK publicity campaign to better inform people's understanding of drugs and to provide a single, easily accessible source of advice and support for those affected by drug use. This will help young people, in particular, to understand what will happen to them if they are found in possession of cannabis (or any other illegal drug) or are supplying drugs.
	Reclassification also sends a clear signal to the police that the priority is Class A drugs, like heroin and crack cocaine, which do the most harm. The Association of Chief Police Officers' cannabis enforcement guidance is rightly directed at ensuring that those who cause public order problems, those who persist in misusing cannabis, and those who use cannabis close to places where children are present are dealt with appropriately. But where none of these factors apply, it is not right that someone who is an adult who is found with cannabis should take up police time.
	Time saved as a consequence of policing cannabis possession offences in this way, following reclassification, will provide the police with an opportunity to focus greater resources on priority areas like tackling Class A drug supply offences.

Catapults

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of damage or injury caused by the use of catapults have been reported in each of the last five years; and how many of these cases have led to (a) arrest and (b) prosecution.

Hazel Blears: The requested information is not collected centrally and could be done so only at disproportionate cost.

Catapults

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to outlaw the sale and use of catapults; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: We are not satisfied that the problem of the misuse of catapults is serious enough to merit their inclusion on the current list of prohibited weapons. We will continue to monitor the situation.

Coroners' Salaries

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the salaries are of (a) the Cleveland Coroner, (b) his deputy and (c) his assistant deputy.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 13 January 2004
	Coroners' salaries are agreed with the relevant local authorities and the Home Office has no information about individual salary levels. The Cleveland lead authority is Middlesbrough Borough Council and it is a matter for that authority to decide whether or not to provide the requested information.

Corporate Killing

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his plans to introduce legislation on corporate killing.

Paul Goggins: The Government are committed to reforming the law on corporate manslaughter. We intend to publish our proposals for legislation in the near future, followed by a draft Bill in the spring.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he will reply to the letter to him dated 4 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. M. Atem;
	(2)  when he will reply to the letter to him dated 4 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. M. Atem;
	(3)  when he will reply to the letter to him dated 4 November 2003 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. M. Atem.

David Blunkett: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 13 January 2004.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 1 December 2003 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Abdul Hussain Talash.

David Blunkett: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 19 January 2004.

Credit Card Fraud

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the most recent annual cost of credit card fraud.

Hazel Blears: The Government do not collect figures on the cost of credit card fraud but the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS) assesses the cost of all plastic card fraud in 2002 (the most recent figures available) to be £424.6 million.
	In April 2002, the Government launched a two-year pilot of a unique policing unit (the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU)) based in London, which works closely with the banking industry to reduce organised card and cheque fraud, using intelligence largely provided by the card industry. DCPCU had significant success in its first year including recovery of more than 4,000 cards and 525 cheques, resulting in 59 arrests. Potential savings amount to £13.35 million. DCPCU cases have so far led to 31 convictions, all following guilty pleas.
	Government are actively supporting "Chip and PIN", a major finance and retail industry initiative which is the introduction of microchips into payment cards to help authentication combined with the introduction of PIN codes in place of signatures. The banking industry anticipates that, by 2005, the new Chip and PIN technology will eliminate over half of the predicted level of plastic card fraud in the UK.

Departmental Relocation

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the benefits of re-location of staff to north Staffordshire; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of proposals to relocate Government jobs on the Department's ability to meet (a) departmental policy objectives and (b) departmental public service agreements;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the effect of possible relocation of staff in his Department to north Staffordshire on (a) job creation, (b) sustainable development, (c) the local economy and (d) tackling regional economic disparities; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what plans he has to establish procedures for assessing the impact of possible re-location of staff in his Department to the regions; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury gave her to similar questions to his Department on 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 516W.

Driving Standards

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines his Department has set for the police concerning motorists (a) eating, (b) smoking and (c) drinking non-alcoholic drinks whilst driving.

Caroline Flint: Drivers must have proper control of their vehicles and drive carefully and safely at all times. Any motorist who fails to do so, for whatever reason, is liable to prosecution for failing to exercise proper control of a vehicle, careless or inconsiderate driving, or dangerous driving. The police will consider in each case whether eating, drinking or smoking whilst driving might amount to or contribute to the commission of one of these offences and charge accordingly. The Association of Chief Police Officers is content that the existing legislation provides sufficient powers to prosecute successfully any driving offences that may arise from distracting behaviour.

Drink-driving

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers failed a breath test in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: Information for Lancashire from 1997 to 2001 is given in the table. Data for 2002 will be available in the spring 2004.
	
		Number of positive or refused breath tests within Lancashire police force area, 1997–2001
		
			  Positive/refused 
		
		
			  
			  
			 1997 2,700 
			 1998 1,900 
			 1999 1,900 
			 2000 1,600 
			 2001 2,500

Drink-driving

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of drivers failed a breath test during December in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many breath tests were taken by drivers in each year since 1997; and how many accidents were caused by drunk drivers in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: Information for England and Wales is given in the tables.
	
		Table A—Screening breath tests and the number and percentage of positive or refused within the month of December, 1997–2001(14)—England and Wales
		
			  Total tests Positive/refused Percentage positive/refused 
		
		
			 1997 142,900 9,100 6 
			 1998 142,500 8,100 6 
			 1999 120,300 8,900 7 
			 2000 107,600 8,900 8 
			 2001 99,100 9,000 9 
		
	
	(14) Figures for 2002 are not available.
	Source:
	Home Office
	
		Table B—Number of screening breath tests, 1997–2001(15)—England and Wales
		
			  Total number of breath tests 
		
		
			  
			  
			 1997 800,300 
			 1998 815,500 
			 1999 764,500 
			 2000 714,800 
			 2001 623,900 
		
	
	(15) Figures for 2002 are not available.
	Source:
	Home Office
	
		Table C—Accidents in which at least one driver provided a positive breath test or refused, 1997–2002—England and Wales
		
			   Accident severity 
			  Total numberof accidents Fatal Serious Slight 
		
		
			 1997 7,309 131 1,609 5,569 
			 1998 6,916 111 1,419 5,386 
			 1999 6,982 88 1,319 5,575 
			 2000 7,391 98 1,370 5,923 
			 2001 7,534 98 1,433 6,003 
			 2002 7,555 91 1,395 6,069 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Transport

Drug-related Crime

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the costs of drug-related crime in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: Estimates of the costs of drug-related crime are not available annually. However, a recent study published by the Home Office provides estimates of the total economic and social costs of Class A drug use and puts these in the range of £10.1 to £17.4 billion for the year 2000. These costs include the costs of drug-related crime, which are estimated to fall in the range £8.8 to £15.8 billion. The costs of drug-related crime include victim costs and those accruing to courts, prisons and other parts of the criminal justice system.

Durham Police Force

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the strength of the Durham police force was in each year since 2000, broken down by rank; and how many civilian personnel there were in each year.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is set out in the table. Decisions on the number of officers in each rank below that of Assistant Chief Constable is the responsibility of the Chief Constable.
	
		(I) Police Strength by Rank (Durham Constabulary)
		
			 Rank 31 March 2000 31 March 2001 31 March 2002 31 March 2003 
		
		
			 ACPO Ranks(16) 3 3 3 3 
			 Chief Superintendent(17) — — — 11 
			 Superintendent 19 19 18 4 
			 Chief Inspector 23 21 21 18 
			 Inspector 78 81 80 85 
			 Sergeant 209 207 215 218 
			 Constable 1,226 1,264 1,277 1,313 
		
	
	(16) ACPO ranks include Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Constable.
	(17) Chief Superintendent rank was abolished in April 1995 and was reintroduced from 1 January 2002. Separate collection of Chief Superintendent and Superintendent data was not reintroduced until March 2003.
	
		(II) Police (Support) Staff
		
			 Year(18) Number of Police Staff 
		
		
			 2000 590 
			 2001 566 
			 2002 660 
			 2003 602 
		
	
	(18) As at 31 March

Early Release

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many under 18-year-olds have been released under the early release of short-term prisoners; and how many were assigned a mentor on release.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 12 January 2004
	The standard custodial sentence (up to 24 months) for offenders under 18 is the Detention and Training Order (DTO). Half the term is spent in custody and the remaining half under supervision in the community. Early release from custody (of one month, in the case of offenders serving terms of eight, 10 or 12 months; or one or two months, for those serving 18 or 24 months) has been available since the DTO was introduced in April 2000. In May 2002, new guidance specified that, in future, DTO trainees granted early release would be electronically monitored up to their original release-from-custody date.
	Since 29 May 2002, 2,451 DTO trainees have been granted early release. The guidance does not specify that those released should be assigned a mentor. It is open to Youth Offending Teams to arrange this, and those offenders who undertake an Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme during the community part of their DTO are usually assigned a mentor, but figures on this are not collected centrally.

Emergency Services (Radio Systems)

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the Government will ensure that usable spectrum is available to bidders seeking to supply and manage new radio network systems for the emergency services following the award of the contract for a new modern digital radio system for the police service to Airwave/02 in February 2000.

Hazel Blears: Potential suppliers of public safety radio networks may apply to the interdepartmental Public Safety Spectrum Policy Group (PSSPG) for suitable radio spectrum. The PSSPG is an interdepartmental committee that ultimately answers to the UK Spectrum Strategy Committee of the Cabinet Office. Regularly updated information on available spectrum is available on the Ofcom website.

EU Accession Countries

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether the residents of the nations securing membership of the EU in May will have automatic right of access to the United Kingdom on that date; and whether they will have access to social security and housing benefits;
	(2)  which member states of the EU have placed restrictions for seven years on the entitlement of new EU citizens to gain access and to secure benefits in their nations; and whether the UK is able to seek similar restrictions.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 12 January 2004
	Under the EU Accession Treaty, citizens of all 10 new member states will enjoy the same right to travel freely across the EU as is enjoyed by citizens of the current member states, for all but one of the purposes envisaged by the EC Treaty. The Accession Treaty allows the 15 current member states to impose temporary restrictions on the right of citizens of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia to travel freely across the EU for the purpose of work. These restrictions may last, at the most, until 30 April 2011. Cypriot and Maltese citizens will enjoy free movement for work across the EU automatically on accession.
	The United Kingdom Government, along with Denmark, Netherlands, Greece, Ireland and Sweden, have decided to allow access to their labour markets immediately upon the accession. Many other member states have yet to make any final decisions. France and Germany have indicated that they will impose some temporary restrictions on workers for at least two years from accession.
	Citizens of the new member states will have the same rights and restrictions as citizens of existing EU member states in relation to access to social security and housing benefits.
	Under EC law, a citizen of the European Union may not be discriminated against on the grounds of nationality and must enjoy the same access to social security benefits as a national of the state of residence.
	The habitual residence test, which applies to income related non-contributory benefits, such as housing benefit and pension credit, has to be satisfied before a person can receive these benefits.
	Entitlement to contributory benefits, such as state pension, depends on payment of national insurance contributions.
	Citizens of other EU member states cannot come to the UK simply to claim benefits. They must first meet the Habitual Residence Test (HRT). The HRT covers non-contributory benefits including income support, jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit, and council tax benefit.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that the benefits system and the taxpayers who support it are protected against abuse by people with little or no connection with the UK. Measures already in place under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, together with the HRT, help insure this. This area is kept under constant review to ensure that the benefit system remains fully robust and resistant to abuse.

Female Genital Mutilation

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what funding was provided to local authorities for the training of public service providers, with particular reference to police, teachers, doctors and nurses, to enable them to understand and identify women who have undergone female genital mutilation in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003;
	(2)  what funding was provided to (a) St. Helens and (b) Merseyside for the training of public service providers, with particular reference to police, teachers, doctors and nurses, to enable them to understand and identify women who have undergone female genital mutilation in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2003.

Paul Goggins: No specific funding was provided to local authorities for this purpose.
	However, the voluntary organisation the Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development (FORWARD) received a core grant of £40,000 for each of the three years to 2004–05 and an additional sum of £25,000 for each of the three years to 2003–04 for a project aimed at mobilising professionals who work with children from communities where Female Genital Mutilation is practised. This involves assessing the training needs of a range of professionals and offering them training.
	The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 received Royal Assent on 30 October. The Government will take steps to ensure that relevant professionals are informed about this new legislation and their duties under it.

Forensic Science Service

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the case for private finance initiative for the Forensic Science Service to upgrade its laboratories.

Hazel Blears: The independent McFarland Review identified that if the Forensic Science Service (FSS) were to remain a Trading Fund, funding for investment in laboratories would probably need to come from some form of Private Finance Initiative (PFI). This has not been assessed in detail as my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, accepted the review's main conclusion that more fundamental changes were needed to secure the FSS' future growth and that this should be achieved by its transformation into a public private partnership.

Forensic Science Service

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of expenditure required to upgrade the Forensic Science Service laboratories in each of its centres; and if he will list the centres.

Hazel Blears: Assessment of the capital expenditure requirement for the Forensic Science Service (FSS) was undertaken within the recent review of this organisation, led by Robert McFarland. It was estimated that the FSS requires capital expenditure in the region of £20 million to £30 million to sustain business at its present level in the emerging competitive climate. The Review team did not undertake a detailed study of the FSS's capital investment needs, which would be necessary to determine a precise figure and establish the investment required at each of the centres.

Fraud

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress his Department is making in dealing with (a) passport fraud and (b) duplicate or false national insurance numbers.

Beverley Hughes: I wrote to the hon. Member on 13 January 2004.

Gun Crime

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed in each year since 1996–97 involving (a) handguns, (b) rifles, (c) shotguns, (d) air weapons and (e) imitation firearms; and how many gun crimes for each year were drug-related.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 19 January 2004
	The relevant information is given in the table.
	
		Number of recorded crimes in which a firearm was used(19)
		
			 Year(20) Handguns Rifles Shotguns Air weapons Imitation firearms 
		
		
			 1996 3,347 63 933 7,813 498 
			 1997 2,648 51 580 7,506 511 
			 1998–99(21) 2,687 43 642 8,665 566 
			 1999–2000 3,685 67 693 10,103 823 
			 2000–01 4,109 36 608 10,227 787 
			 2001–02(22) 5,871 64 711 12,340 1,201 
		
	
	(19) Fired, used as a blunt instrument or in a threat.
	(20) Calendar years up to 1997 and financial years thereafter.
	(21) There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which may have had an inflationary effect on firearm offence statistics.
	(22) Some police forces adopted the National Crime Recording Standard in advance of its national implementation on 1 April 2002, and this may have had an inflationary effect on firearm offence statistics.
	Statistics of whether firearms offences are drug-related are not collected centrally.

Gun Crime

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegally owned or carried (a) handguns, (b) rifles, (c) military weapons, (d) automatic weapons and (e) semi-automatic weapons have been recovered by (i) police forces in England and Wales and (ii) Customs and Excise at ports of entry in the UK in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 12 January 2004
	The information requested on weapons recovered by the police is not currently available.
	Customs and Excise have provided the following details to the Home Office of the numbers of firearms they have seized in the last five years. These figures include imports and exports. Any military, automatic and semi-automatic weapons will be included in the totals and are not separately identified.
	
		Number of illegal firearms seized by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
		
			 Year ended 31 March Hand guns Rifles Shotguns 
		
		
			 1999 85 106 55 
			 2000 420 100 135 
			 2001 168 49 51 
			 2002 305 113 230 
			 2003 127 102 41

Gun Crime

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been prosecuted for conversion of (a) air and (b) imitation weapons to fire live ammunition in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 12 January 2004
	The available information is given in the table. The statistics collected centrally relate only to the illegal conversion into firearms of anything which, though having the appearance of being a firearm, is so constructed as to be incapable of discharging any missile through its barrel. It is not possible to make a distinction between the type of guns converted, but the conversion of air weapons is not covered by the offence under section 4(3) of the Firearms Act 1968 since most are already classified as firearms.
	
		Persons proceeded against for conversion of firearms, England and Wales
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1998 4 
			 1999 3 
			 2000 (23)1 
			 2001 3 
			 2002 4 
		
	
	(23) Excludes figures for Staffordshire.
	Note:
	Statistics for 2003 will be published in the autumn.

Lancashire Police Force

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the full-time equivalent strength of the police force in Lancashire, broken down by rank, for each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is set out in the table. Decisions on the number of officers in each rank below that of Assistant Chief Constable is the responsibility of the Chief Constable.
	
		
			 Rank 31 March 2001 31 March 2002 31 March 2003 
		
		
			 ACPO Ranks(24) 4 4 4 
			 Chief Superintendent(25) — — 8 
			 Superintendent 33 31 20 
			 Chief Inspector 37 35 41 
			 Inspector 163 166 174 
			 Sergeant 513 513 514 
			 Constable 2,505 2,555 2,578 
		
	
	(24) ACPO ranks include Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Constable.
	(25) Chief Superintendent rank was abolished in April 1995 and was reintroduced from 1 January 2002. Separate collection of Chief Superintendent and Superintendent data was not reintroduced until March 2003.

Lancashire Police Force

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables there were in Lancashire, in each of the last three years, broken down by rank.

Hazel Blears: Home Office figures on police strength moved to an annual cycle from March 2002 and are available in the House Library, as are previous publications. The total number of Special Constables in Lancashire for each of the past three years is as follows:
	31 March 2001—360
	31 March 2002—363
	31 March 2003—351.
	There are no ranks specified in Regulations for the Special Constabulary and information concerning grades used within forces is not collected centrally.

Leak Inquiries

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what inquiries his Department has conducted into alleged leaks from members of staff since 1997; and on what occasions the names of those persons accused of leaking information from his Department have been made public (a) by the Government and (b) by way of another source.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 12 January 2004
	Since 1997, the Home Office has investigated 65 suspected leaks. In line with Exemptions 1 (a) and 7 (b) set out in Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, it has been the practice of successive governments not to comment on the outcome of such inquiries in order to safeguard security and investigative arrangements.

Migrant Workers

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many migrant workers there are in the UK (a) from the EU and (b) from outside the EU; and what percentage he estimates are legal migrant workers.

Beverley Hughes: It is not possible to provide the information in the form requested. Such information we can provide is set out in the table.
	
		The total number of migrant workers with a UK arrival date April 2001 to March 2002; applying for a national insurance number
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Total 156,400 
			 EU 43,265 
			 Outside the EU 113,135 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	2. Figures are taken from a 100 per cent. sample and are rounded to the nearest five.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre

Murders (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many murders were (a) committed and (b) solved in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is given in the table.
	
		Numbers of homicide(26) offences recorded by Lancashire Police
		
			  Offences recorded Offences detected 
		
		
			  
			  
			 1998–99 24 24 
			 1999–2000 19 18 
			 2000–01 27 26 
			 2001–02 21 21 
			 2002–03 28 24 
		
	
	(26) Homicide is comprised of murder, manslaughter and infanticide offences.

Overseas Visitors

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people visited the United Kingdom from (a) Cameroon, (b) Romania and (c) South Africa in the last year for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The latest available information is given in the following table.
	
		Passengers given leave to enter the United Kingdom as visitors, by nationality, 2002 -- United KingdomNumber of journeys
		
			  Total Ordinary visitor Business visitor 
		
		
			 Romania 30,800 11,400 19,300 
			 South Africa 189,000 146,000 42,900 
		
	
	Note
	The figures in this table have been rounded to three significant digits;
	because of this the sum of the constituent items may not agree with the total as shown.
	I regret that is not possible to identify Cameroon separately in our visitor statistics.
	Data on passengers given leave to enter the United Kingdom are published in the Command Paper 'Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2002' (Cm6053), obtainable from the House Library, The Stationery Office and via the Home Office website http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hobpubs1.html.

Overseas Visitors

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people entered the UK from the USA in the latest year for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The latest available information shows that a total of 4,220,000 USA nationals were admitted to the United Kingdom during 2002.
	Data on passengers given leave to enter the United Kingdom are published in the Command Paper 'Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2002' (Cm 6053), obtainable from the Library, The Stationery Office and via the Home Office website http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hobpubs1.html

Parliamentary Questions

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he will reply to written question No.142767 of 8 December 2003;
	(2)  when he will reply to written question No.142763 of 8 December 2003.

Beverley Hughes: I have replied to both written questions 142763 and 142767 from the hon. Member. The former was answered on 15 January 2003, Official Report, column 877, and the latter was answered today, 20 January.

Police

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the current level is of police civilian support staff.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 19 January 2004
	The number of full-time equivalent police staff for the police service in England and Wales (includes 43 police force areas and the National Crime Squad) was 63,105 on 31 March 2003. This figure excludes community support officers and traffic wardens.

Police

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each police force in England and Wales (a) in rank order and (b) in alphabetical order the ratio of full-time equivalent police officers to population (i) in 1996–97 and (ii) on the latest available date.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 19 January 2004
	The following table provides the ratio of police officers to population for 31 March 1997 and 31 March 2003.
	
		Police officer strength(27)
		
			 Rank order Alphabetical order 
			 Police force area March 1997(28) Police force area March 2003(28),(29) Police force area March 1997(28) Police force area March 2003(28),(29) 
		
		
			 Metropolitan Police(30) 367 Metropolitan Police(30) 401 Avon and Somerset 204 Avon and Somerset 212 
			 Merseyside 296 West Midlands 303 Bedfordshire 200 Bedfordshire 195 
			 Gwent 275 Merseyside 301 Cambridgeshire 188 Cambridgeshire 195 
			 West Midlands 270 Greater Manchester 296 Cheshire 209 Cheshire 215 
			 Greater Manchester 268 Cleveland 292 City of London(30) — City of London(30) — 
			 Cleveland 261 Northumbria 285 Cleveland 261 Cleveland 292 
			 Northumbria 256 Durham 279 Cumbria 233 Cumbria 234 
			 West Yorkshire 247 South Wales 270 Derbyshire 187 Derbyshire 209 
			 South Yorkshire 242 South Yorkshire 251 Devon and Cornwall 186 Devon and Cornwall 203 
			 Durham 240 Gwent 243 Dorset 189 Dorset 204 
			 Cumbria 233 Humberside 242 Durham 240 Durham 279 
			 Humberside 230 West Yorkshire 242 Dyfed-Powys 212 Dyfed-Powys 235 
			 Lancashire 228 Nottinghamshire 237 Essex 197 Essex 185 
			 Nottinghamshire 225 Lancashire 236 Gloucestershire 205 Gloucestershire 217 
			 South Wales 223 Dyfed-Powys 235 Greater Manchester 268 Greater Manchester 296 
			 Dyfed-Powys 212 Cumbria 234 Gwent 275 Gwent 243 
			 Leicestershire 211 North Wales 232 Hampshire 198 Hampshire 206 
			 Sussex 211 Leicestershire 229 Hertfordshire 205 Hertfordshire 189 
			 Kent 210 Kent 221 Humberside 230 Humberside 242 
			 Staffordshire 209 Gloucestershire 217 Kent 210 Kent 221 
			 Cheshire 209 Cheshire 215 Lancashire 228 Lancashire 236 
			 Surrey 209 Avon and Somerset 212 Leicestershire 211 Leicestershire 229 
			 North Wales 208 Staffordshire 210 Lincolnshire 196 Lincolnshire 189 
			 Gloucestershire 205 Derbyshire 209 Merseyside 296 Merseyside 301 
			 Hertfordshire 205 Hampshire 206 Metropolitan Police(30) 367 Metropolitan Police(30) 401 
			 Avon and Somerset 204 Dorset 204 Norfolk 185 Norfolk 188 
			 Bedfordshire 200 Devon and Cornwall 203 North Wales 208 North Wales 232 
			 Hampshire 198 Sussex 200 North Yorkshire 183 North Yorkshire 192 
			 Essex 197 Warwickshire 197 Northamptonshire 196 Northamptonshire 192 
			 Northamptonshire 196 Bedfordshire 195 Northumbria 256 Northumbria 285 
			 Lincolnshire 196 Cambridgeshire 195 Nottinghamshire 225 Nottinghamshire 237 
			 Wiltshire 195 West Mercia 195 South Wales 223 South Wales 270 
			 Dorset 189 North Yorkshire 192 South Yorkshire 242 South Yorkshire 251 
			 Cambridgeshire 188 Northamptonshire 192 Staffordshire 209 Staffordshire 210 
			 Derbyshire 187 Hertfordshire 189 Suffolk 180 Suffolk 187 
			 Devon and Cornwall 186 Wiltshire 189 Surrey 209 Surrey 180 
			 Warwickshire 186 Lincolnshire 189 Sussex 211 Sussex 200 
			 Norfolk 185 Norfolk 188 Thames Valley 180 Thames Valley 183 
			 West Mercia 183 Suffolk 187 Warwickshire 186 Warwickshire 197 
			 North Yorkshire 183 Essex 185 West Mercia 183 West Mercia 195 
			 Thames Valley 180 Thames Valley 183 West Midlands 270 West Midlands 303 
			 Suffolk 180 Surrey 180 West Yorkshire 247 West Yorkshire 242 
			 City of London(30) — City of London(30) — Wiltshire 195 Wiltshire 189 
			 Total 241  252 Total 241  252 
		
	
	(27) Full-time equivalents
	(28) Police strength per 100,000 population
	(29) Comparable strength
	(30) City of London and Metropolitan Police combined

Police

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Tetra technology was chosen for the UK police force modern digital radio system, excluding competition from other technologies.

Hazel Blears: Expert assessments of available technologies were made at the start of the procurement process for the new police radio system. The experts concluded that TETRA was the only standard to meet fully the requirements of the police service.

Police

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers, broken down by (a) sex and (b) ethnicity, were employed by each English police force in (i) 1992, (ii) 1997, (iii) 2001 and (iv) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the following tables:
	
		Police officer strength(31) in England by gender as at 31 March
		
			 English police forces 1992 1997 2001 2003 
		
		
			 Males 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,769 2,622 2,530 2,638 
			 Bedfordshire 940 911 837 881 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,107 1,119 1,105 1,144 
			 Cheshire 1,649 1,759 1,669 1,725 
			 Cleveland 1,319 1,251 1,163 1,321 
			 Cumbria 1,041 970 870 901 
			 Derbyshire 1,531 1,564 1,553 1,643 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,769 2,458 2,428 2,600 
			 Dorset 1,135 1,105 1,121 1,165 
			 Durham 1,264 1,229 1,295 1,316 
			 Essex 2,554 2,493 2,419 2,413 
			 Gloucestershire 1,046 979 945 979 
			 Greater Manchester 6,142 5,774 5,627 5,940 
			 Hampshire 2,852 2,917 2,833 2,934 
			 Hertfordshire 1,446 1,453 1,546 1,530 
			 Humberside 1,840 1,761 1,604 1,700 
			 Kent 2,660 2,734 2,683 2,784 
			 Lancashire 2,833 2,722 2,676 2,716 
			 Leicestershire 1,626 1,630 1,707 1,758 
			 Lincolnshire 1,078 1,047 1,034 1,020 
			 City of London 713 739 607 676 
			 Merseyside 4,083 3,561 3,413 3,407 
			 Metropolitan police 24,416 22,779 20,946 23,290 
			 Norfolk 1,288 1,239 1,195 1,250 
			 Northamptonshire 1,044 1,006 959 963 
			 Northumbria 3,117 3,160 3,244 3,272 
			 North Yorkshire 1,249 1,160 1,109 1,197 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,103 2,006 1,795 2,011 
			 South Yorkshire 2,676 2,684 2,600 2,551 
			 Staffordshire 1,883 1,839 1,708 1,766 
			 Suffolk 1,084 996 935 1,003 
			 Surrey 1,491 1,386 1,703 1,501 
			 Sussex 2,665 2,633 2,361 2,390 
			 Thames Valley 3,252 3,106 3,051 3,086 
			 Warwickshire 883 800 780 815 
			 West Mercia 1,783 1,740 1,625 1,822 
			 West Midlands 5,934 5,742 5,775 5,926 
			 West Yorkshire 4,490 4,403 3,985 4,038 
			 Wiltshire 1,080 1,001 914 917 
			  
			 Females 
			 Avon and Somerset 312 367 430 511 
			 Bedfordshire 153. 183 199 225 
			 Cambridgeshire 143 183 191 240 
			 Cheshire 225 287 334 394 
			 Cleveland 158 209 244 261 
			 Cumbria 138 174 178 239 
			 Derbyshire 175 227 270 360 
			 Devon and Cornwall 312 407 506 602 
			 Dorset 154 179 233 251 
			 Durham 125 232 300 336 
			 Essex 344 468 468 576 
			 Gloucestershire 141 154 228 248 
			 Greater Manchester 919 1,148 1,282 1,403 
			 Hampshire 359 535 602 734 
			 Hertfordshire 249 306 376 428 
			 Humberside 186 284 314 405 
			 Kent 414 526 635 703 
			 Lancashire 365 525 579 623 
			 Leicestershire 219 319 326 355 
			 Lincolnshire 118 149 169 202 
			 City of London 95 120 96 132 
			 Merseyside 583 669 668 692 
			 Metropolitan police 3,738 3,899 3,932 4,694 
			 Norfolk 126 193 225 249 
			 Northamptonshire 114 171 198 247 
			 Northumbria 347 517 614 672 
			 North Yorkshire 149 178 196 246 
			 Nottinghamshire 228 318 417 400 
			 South Yorkshire 332 475 597 633 
			 Staffordshire 293 372 420 436 
			 Suffolk 134 184 197 250 
			 Surrey 215 234 363 406 
			 Sussex 319 452 495 599 
			 Thames Valley 520 589 652 747 
			 Warwickshire 107 126 146 182 
			 West Mercia 251 301 326 434 
			 West Midlands 1,007 1,371 1,648 1,825 
			 West Yorkshire 597 806 830 990 
			 Wiltshire 141 153 206 241 
		
	
	(31) Full-time equivalents
	
		Minority ethnic police officer strength(32) as at 31 March
		
			 English police forces 1992(34) 1997 2001 2003(33) 
		
		
			 Males 
			 Avon and Somerset 18 25 29 36 
			 Bedfordshire 30 0 27 42 
			 Cambridgeshire 18 20 23 29 
			 Cheshire 1 4 6 8 
			 Cleveland 10 15 17 22 
			 Cumbria 2 1 2 3 
			 Derbyshire 23 30 36 53 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2 4 9 15 
			 Dorset 3 5 7 10 
			 Durham 3 6 12 20 
			 Essex 20 25 23 35 
			 Gloucestershire 10 9 14 17 
			 Greater Manchester 105 137 163 199 
			 Hampshire 13 26 33 40 
			 Hertfordshire 13 16 25 33 
			 Humberside 5 9 8 16 
			 Kent 9 13 35 40 
			 Lancashire 25 26 41 64 
			 Leicestershire 49 66 76 82 
			 Lincolnshire 1 3 8 9 
			 City of London 6 11 14 23 
			 Merseyside 48 61 65 50 
			 Metropolitan police 433 641 840 1,269 
			 Norfolk 0 7 12 14 
			 Northamptonshire 17 25 26 33 
			 Northumbria 11 21 28 45 
			 North Yorkshire 4 7 5 14 
			 Nottinghamshire 40 45 48 68 
			 South Yorkshire 24 58 69 64 
			 Staffordshire 14 21 22 20 
			 Suffolk 4 8 12 18 
			 Surrey 13 17 24 28 
			 Sussex 12 15 22 25 
			 Thames Valley 45 61 71 90 
			 Warwickshire 7 15 18 26 
			 West Mercia 14 23 21 23 
			 West Midlands 145 208 264 315 
			 West Yorkshire 72 108 110 129 
			 Wiltshire 11 11 8 11 
			  
			 Females 
			 Avon and Somerset 5 5 5 8 
			 Bedfordshire 11 12 11 9 
			 Cambridgeshire 8 8 8 6 
			 Cheshire 1 1 3 3 
			 Cleveland 2 2 1 1 
			 Cumbria 0 1 1 2 
			 Derbyshire 4 7 9 9 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 3 6 
			 Dorset 0 0 2 2 
			 Durham 1 2 2 5 
			 Essex 2 6 10 15 
			 Gloucestershire 2 3 2 1 
			 Greater Manchester 21 24 25 37 
			 Hampshire 2 5 6 9 
			 Hertfordshire 5 3 6 10 
			 Humberside 1 2 4 6 
			 Kent 2 5 8 11 
			 Lancashire 5 7 11 12 
			 Leicestershire 5 11 16 15 
			 Lincolnshire 2 2 2 3 
			 City of London 2 8 4 5 
			 Merseyside 9 15 16 12 
			 Metropolitan police 130 184 209 316 
			 Norfolk 0 1 3 2 
			 Northamptonshire 2 5 5 6 
			 Northumbria 2 5 5 7 
			 North Yorkshire 0 5 1  
			 Nottinghamshire 11 16 17 13 
			 South Yorkshire 4 11 15 16 
			 Staffordshire 5 6 8 11 
			 Suffolk 2 4 6 9 
			 Surrey 2 3 7 14 
			 Sussex 4 7 8 8 
			 Thames Valley 12 12 21 28 
			 Warwickshire 2 5 5 5 
			 West Mercia 4 3 2 4. 
			 West Midlands 47 75 112 124 
			 West Yorkshire 17 22 29 34 
			 Wiltshire 2 2 1 1 
		
	
	(32) Headcount
	(33) Year 2003 not comparable with previous years as previously published figures exclude officers on career breaks and maternity/paternity leave
	(34) Full-time equivalent

Prisons

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people aged over 65 years are serving sentences in England and Wales; and what provisions are being made to meet their health, social and rehabilitation needs.

Paul Goggins: The number of sentenced prisoners in prisons in England and Wales on 30 June 2002 who were aged 65 and over was 636.
	The Prison Service does recognise its duty to care for older prisoners and seeks to meet all their needs, including medical, according to individual circumstances. The Service does not allocate specific resources to the rehabilitation of older prisoners but rather through a system of sentence planning for all prisoners it ensures that they undertake activities necessary to reduce the risk to the public on release as well as providing any necessary resettlement support.

Prisons

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juvenile prisoners in each prison are foreign nationals.

Paul Goggins: Information on the number of prisoners aged under 18, in each prison in England and Wales, who are foreign nationals is given in the following table.
	
		Foreign national prisoners aged under 18 as at 30 April 2003
		
			  Number 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Ashfield 2 
			 Brinsford 4 
			 Bullwood Hall 2 
			 Castington 1 
			 Dover 1 
			 Feltham 59 
			 Hindley 1 
			 Hollesley Bay/Warren Hill 14 
			 Holloway 2 
			 Huntercombe 20 
			 Lancaster Farms 2 
			 New Hall 2 
			 Onley 4 
			 Pare 1 
			 Stoke Heath 4 
			 Thorn Cross 1 
			 Werrington 1 
			 Wetherby 5 
			 Total 126

Prisons

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of (a) the prison population and (b) young offenders had previously been in local authority care in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: Information on the percentage of the prison population who had previously been in local authority care is not held centrally.
	The National Prison Survey 1991 reported that 26 per cent. of prisoners surveyed were in care as a child. For those prisoners aged under 21, 38 per cent. were in care as a child.

Prisons

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long the longest-serving (a) male and (b) female prison inmate has been held in prison; and for what offence they were convicted when they were originally sentenced to imprisonment.

Paul Goggins: The longest serving male prison inmate was received into custody 51 years ago and was convicted of murder. The longest serving female prison inmate was received into custody 22 years ago and was convicted of kidnapping.

Prisons

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in HM prisons in England and Wales are sharing (a) two to a cell designated for one and (b) three to a cell designated for two.

Paul Goggins: At the end of November 2003 16,692 prisoners were held two to a cell designed for one, while 1,206 prisoners were held three to a cell designed for two.
	The data are provisional and subject to validation by prisons.

Prisons

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the weekly cost of keeping a prisoner in prison was in the last year for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 4 January 2004
	The weekly cost per prisoner for prisons in England and Wales in 2002–03 was £697. This figure is expressed in resource accounting terms.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all (a) private and (b) voluntary providers of services to the Prison Service, together with the services they provide to each prison.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. At the present time there are around 20,000 organisations—voluntary, public and private—providing goods and services to the Prison Service.

Prisons

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the visiting hours and days were for each prison in April in each year since 1997; and what the visiting hours and days will be for each prison in April 2004.

Paul Goggins: Prisoners' minimum entitlements to visits, in terms of regularity and length are prescribed centrally. The arrangements for both social and official visits are, however, determined locally by individual governors, taking into account operational matters and resources. Data on these arrangements are not centrally collated and to do so would be at disproportionate cost.

Prisons

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to increase the opportunities for prisoners to find employment once released back into the community.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 19 January 2004
	The Government are investing £14.5 million a year in the Prison Service Custody to Work initiative. This is linked to a target of 31,500 job, training or education outcomes for prisoners on release in 2003–04. The Prison Service is increasing skills training and jobsearch training and support for prisoners, developing closer partnerships with employers and Jobcentre Plus, and providing more housing advice and support services for prisoners.

Prisons

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce re-offending by (a) involving families in resettlement work throughout the prison sentence and (b) maintaining prisoners' family ties.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service acknowledges that family and other community links are vital to effective resettlement of prisoners, and that families have a valuable role to play in helping to reduce re-offending and protect the public.
	With regard to offenders under the age of 18, and all those sentenced to the detention and training order, there is a mandatory requirement on governors to ensure that, where appropriate, families are given the opportunity to contribute to the sentence planning process throughout the custodial part of the sentence. For adult prisoners the extent of involvement is left to the discretion of individual establishments.
	The Prison Service has been working, together with other agencies, to develop an integrated approach to supporting prisoners and their families in sustaining their relationships. Examples of such work include:
	Participation in the Inter-Ministerial Group response to the Social Exclusion Unit report "Reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners", in particular how best to take forward the proposal for a National Rehabilitation Strategy.
	Establishment of a seven-year partnership with voluntary and statutory agencies in the Eastern Area offering a comprehensive package of services and support to the families of prisoners within prisons and in the wider community.
	Providing information to prisoners to enable them to maintain family links and giving advice to families about prisons and the opportunities for keeping in touch.
	Enabling prisoners' families to maintain ties through improved visiting conditions, such as extended family visits; play areas and story tapes for children recorded by the imprisoned parent; and increasing the number of visitors' centres which offer additional support.
	Development of family learning programmes, some of which include attendance by partners and children.
	Refocusing of the multi-agency Family Ties Consultative Group to enhance policy development in this area.
	Continuing to offer financial assistance for families on low incomes visiting prisoners through the Assisted Prisons Visits scheme.

Prisons

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many transsexuals are serving prison sentences.

Paul Goggins: Information is not held centrally on the number of transsexuals serving prison sentences.

Departmental Procurement

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his Department's procurement policy with regard to offshore IT and call centre outsourcing; whether his Department is outsourcing IT and call centre jobs to offshore companies; to which countries his Department has outsourced these jobs; how much his Department has spent on this outsourcing in each of the last two years; and how much has been budgeted for this purpose for the next two years.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office procurement policy follows standard Government procurement policy that all public procurement is based on value for money, having due regard to propriety, security of information and regularity. The Home Office comply with the requirements of the EU Treaty, including the principal of non-discrimination, the EC procurement directives and the UK's international obligations. This procurement policy applies to offshore IT and call centre outsourcing.
	The Home Office is not currently outsourcing IT or call centre jobs to offshore companies and has not spent anything on outsourcing these services to offshore companies in the last two years.
	No funds have been budgeted for this purpose for the next two years.

Prostitution

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for the reform of laws relating to prostitution; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Sex Offences Act, due to be implemented in May 2004, introduces a range of new offences specifically dealing with the exploitation of children and adults through prostitution.
	We are currently examining what further changes to the criminal law are needed in respect of prostitution, as well as some of the wider associated issues—including the links with serious drug abuse, violent and other crime, and damage to local communities. We hope to publish a paper for public consultation later this year.

Criminal Convictions

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the change in (a) criminal convictions and (b) the custodial population between 1980 and 2000.

Paul Goggins: I refer the hon. Member to my letter of 18 December 2003.

Parole

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) age of victim, (b) type of offence, (c) age of complainant and (d) relationship of accused to complainant was for each of the deniers who applied for parole, referred to on page 17 of the latest Parole Board report.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Parole

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the offence categories were for the prisoners who were denied parole on the basis of their continuing denial of guilt in April 2003.

Paul Goggins: There were no prisoners refused parole in April 2003 on the grounds of their continued denial of guilt. It would be unlawful for the Parole Board to refuse parole on the basis of denial of guilt or any factors that may stem from it.
	The Prison Service does not maintain a central record of prisoners who deny their guilt. However, since January 2003, the Parole Board has kept a record of all such cases referred for their consideration. Its records show that in April 2003 the following categories of prisoners who denied guilt had a parole review.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Sexual offenders 18 
			 Violent offenders 4 
			 Property offenders 2 
			 Drug offenders 4 
			 Other 1

Somerset Drugs Service

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the reasons why the Somerset Drugs Service has stopped providing drug rehabilitation support for drug addicts in the Yeovil constituency other than for pregnant women and suicide risks; and what assessment he has made of the effects of this decision on levels of crime.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 14 January 2004
	The Government have provided the Somerset Drug Action Team (DAT) with substantially increased funds in order to reduce waiting times for admission to treatment in the county. This year Somerset Drugs Service (SDS), one of the service providers, had their budget increased by £200,950 to £1,763,214. Following the consequent increase in availability of treatment there has been a substantial increase in those seeking treatment. In quarter 2 of 2002 SDS had 287 active clients of whom 74 were in Yeovil; in quarter 2 of 2003 SDS had 426 active clients of whom 146 were in Yeovil representing almost a 100 per cent. increase in demand in the town in the space of a year. Such dramatic increases have put some short-term pressure on budgets, which has temporarily prevented waiting times being reduced as quickly as originally anticipated. However no one who needs it will be denied treatment. All those presenting for treatment continue to be to prioritised according to assessed need and the risk of harm to self and to the community.
	In order to continue to expand the service to drug users and provide the most effective treatment in the face of increasing demand the DAT commissioned a strategic review from Oxford Brookes University of the whole of its adult drug treatment system. The results of this review are being considered at a meeting on 13 January. In addition to £35,000 allocated this financial year, from April, the DAT has been allocated an extra £284,462 from the Governments Criminal Justice Intervention Programme Throughcare and Aftercare Budget. These increases will ensure that treatment provision continues to improve by assisting the DAT and implement the recommendations of its strategic review.
	As a result of targeting prolific offenders and making rapid treatment available to them, where necessary, the county has seen significant falls in rates of burglary over the first three quarters of this financial year when compared to the same period last year.

Street Crime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on street crime in towns and cities, with particular reference to Romford.

Hazel Blears: The Street Crime Initiative was launched on 17 March 2002 to reduce levels of robbery in England. It covers the 10 police force areas which together account for the great majority of recorded robbery: Avon and Somerset, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, the Metropolitan Police, Merseyside, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Thames Valley, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire.
	The Initiative involves a wide range of agencies working in partnership and delivering a programme of practical measures. Through this work, the Government has reduced street crime in the 10 police force areas by 17 per cent. in 2002–03, which means 17,000 fewer offences, and by 21 per cent. in the Metropolitan Police area. Havering, which includes Romford, saw a 13 per cent. reduction in robbery in 2002–03, with 479 offences, down from 549 in 2001–02.

Speed Cameras

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to ensure that speed cameras do not take pictures of a vehicle's reflection rather than the vehicle itself to calculate speed; and how many drivers he estimates have been wrongly penalised by reason of such errors.

Caroline Flint: The rigorous type approval process operated by the Home Office Police Scientific Development Branch (PSDB) is designed to ensure that speed camera evidence can be fully relied on
	As a further precaution, however, all automatic static camera devices provide for a secondary check. This enables the officer viewing an apparent offence to make a judgment as to the vehicle's speed independent of the speed measured by the device. To enable this check, the device takes two photographs 0.5 seconds apart. The secondary check is performed by measuring the distance travelled along white lines painted on the road between the taking of the two photographs and calculating the vehicle's speed from these.
	While it is technically possible for a camera to record a vehicle's reflection, rather than the vehicle itself, this is extremely rare in practice. Where it does occur, the difference revealed by proper application of the secondary check will make it obvious that there has been an error.

Traffic Wardens

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many traffic wardens there were in Lancashire in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: The number of full-time equivalent traffic wardens in Lancashire police force in each of the last three years were as follows:
	
		
			  Traffic wardens 
		
		
			 31 March 2001 87 
			 31 March 2002 84 
			 31 March 2003 50

Visas (School Children)

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to overcome administrative problems over visas required by children at school in the UK who are resident abroad to travel home for holidays.

Beverley Hughes: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate gives priority attention to applications for children who need to travel urgently. Extra staff have been allocated to resolving payment issues and process timelags that can delay these applications from being decided. Resources have been prioritised to ensure every effort is made so that schoolchildren and other customers who wish to travel urgently have their applications completed or a short period of leave granted to enable them to travel.

Young Offenders

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his plans to provide drug treatment for young offenders addicted to hard drugs.

Caroline Flint: To ensure that effective treatment is available when it is needed, we have made significant investments in the youth justice system and drug treatment sector.
	An arrest referral scheme for young people is currently being piloted, to get young offenders into treatment or other appropriate interventions as early as possible. £6 million is being invested to pilot arrest referral for young people in 10 high crime areas across England. Trained staff in the police custody suites identify if young people have a substance misuse issue and refer them to appropriate treatment or intervention.
	The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has provided £8.5 million funding each year for all 155 youth offending teams across England and Wales to have access to an allocated named drugs worker. The drugs worker is able to assess the needs of young people and ensure that they receive appropriate treatment or other interventions.
	80 per cent of drug action teams areas now have access to community-based young people focused treatment services. DATs across the country are continuing to improve and build on existing provision so that the number of different modalities of treatment for young people are increased.
	The Youth Justice Board is investing £10 million this year and for the next two years. This will establish integrated substance misuse services through out all juvenile custodial institutions that will ensure that young people are able to access similar levels of service provision within the juvenile secure estate as in the community. The Youth Justice Board will ensure that custodial institutions are able to provide: identification, assessment and planning services; prevention and education work; support and appropriate programmes; detoxification and clinical management; and on release throughcare and resettlement.

Young Offenders

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the decision to re-introduce young offenders into Gloucester Prison; and whether the decision was affected by the closure of Ashfield Young Offenders Institution.

Paul Goggins: The allocation of young adult offenders (YAOs), aged 18- 20, into Gloucester prison forms part of the ongoing programme to adjust the population mix of adult and young prisoners at a number of establishments. This is in response to the requirements of the Youth Justice Board for juvenile places and to increasing demand for spaces for adult male prisoners. This will be achieved through careful monitoring of population changes and the allocation of prisoners to establishments appropriate to their needs. It will also ensure maximum use of all available spaces in the prison estate, while minimising the distance of remand prisoners from the courts. This will enable the Prison Service to maintain its service to the courts despite the population pressures.
	Ashfield prison is not being closed, but will instead only hold young prisoners, aged 15–17. Gloucester and other prisons in the area will hold remand and sentenced YAOs. Sentenced YAOs returning from court will be held at Gloucester for the minimum time possible before being transferred on to other establishments with YAO regimes.